


The Peaceful Feeling Of My Home

by Laragh



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Baby!Fic, Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Marriage, Pregnancy, and fluff, and some oblivious wynonna, baby that's everybody's thing, but really just a big ole family fluff fest, eventually, have some drunk nicole, so smuff, some smut, some thirsty Waves if that's your thing, then jumps to the future, to the end of season two, with very little plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-08 01:36:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 54,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12244581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laragh/pseuds/Laragh
Summary: In which Nicole and Waverly decide to add another to the family, now that the terrifying forces of evil in Purgatory have been put down and Peacemaker has been retired.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is canon compliant up to the end of season 2, but makes no assumptions as to the cult, Mama Earp, Waverly’s parentage or anything that comes after that point, other than they all get through it, break the curse and are living in some form of domestic bliss a few years later. It is purposefully vague in that regard. It’s about the future, not the past.

* * *

 

Waverly was in the bathroom when she got the call.

 

Pants still down, knees still knocking together anxiously; though it was nothing compared to how they would quake beneath the steering wheel as she drove to the hospital.

 

She’d known before she’d even answered. Known that something had happened to Nicole. Sheriff Haught had her own direct line and usually used her cell anyway, so a call from the Purgatory Sheriff’s Department squad room meant only one thing: trouble.

 

Words had filtered through from the panicked officer charged with calling her; shot, bleeding, ambulance, hospital, but Waverly had been on autopilot by that stage. Yanking her too-tight jeans that wouldn’t fit over her hips soon and absently remembering to wash her hands, she grabbed her keys and bolted from the homestead.

 

She broke the speed limit, but no officer in Purgatory would have been stupid enough to pull her over and the roads were so deserted she put no one at risk but herself. Waverly just about remembered being told they were taking her to the larger hospital in one of the neighboring bigger towns, but only after she had almost pulled up at Northern Memorial.

 

She cursed under her breath and changed course, lamenting the lost time and feeling a stabbing pain in her heart that she might have just cost herself a goodbye.

 

But no.

 

She refused to think like that.

 

She wiped her eyes and continued ahead. Going to an out-of-town hospital was a blessing and a curse. Nobody knew her there so she didn’t have to worry about keeping it together, but she also couldn’t take advantage of her sash-winning popularity to call in any favors.

 

It felt like forever in the stony silence of her Jeep until she finally got there.

 

Immediately upon rushing through the emergency room doors, she was hit with the smell of disinfectant and sickness. It made her stomach turn, and not for the reason she’d have to get used to. She’d spent one too many times skidding through hospital doors when whatever supernatural force had hurt a member of their family and definitely too many times with Nicole’s name dry on her lips.

 

She’d been lulled into a false sense of security of late. It made that antiseptic odor all the more pungent.

 

Her shoes clacked against the tile of the sterile floor as she moved towards the triage desk, but a familiar flash of red hair caught her eye first. She rushed past, ignoring the shouts of the nurse manning the desk, and slid up alongside Nicole’s gurney, being rushed down the hallway.

 

“Baby!” she exclaimed, getting some relief just from seeing her wife’s eyes; clouded, but alive.

 

“Who are you?” one of the doctors asked impatiently, “We’re taking this patient to surgery.”

 

“I'm her wife, and she's allergic to Thiopental,” Waverly shot back, and damn if it wasn't satisfying to be saying those words instead of hearing them.

 

“Waverly,” Nicole breathed, pulling Waverly back to the moment and the situation they were in.

 

Waverly’s knuckles were white as they gripped the metal sides of the bed.

 

“Hey, I thought you had stopped scaring me like this?”

 

“Gotta go where the danger is,” Nicole rasped, her features actually softening peacefully for a moment before they contorted back in pain.

 

Waverly was trying not to look at the blood-drenched uniform Nicole had been cut out of.

 

They stalled at the elevators and Waverly reached out to cup Nicole’s cheek.

 

“You’re gonna be okay, baby,” she reassured in her best comforting voice, smiling through the tears.

 

Nicole’s cheek nuzzled her hand.

 

“Waverly, I-I love you.”

 

Waverly’s jaw tensed. She wouldn’t do this. She never could.

 

“Hey, when you get back I have some good news to tell you, okay?” she said, forcing a laugh out, “So you gotta come back to me so I can tell you. I’ll tell you when you wake up, okay? I’ll tell you…”

 

The elevator doors opened and Nicole’s hand slipped from Waverly’s as she was wheeled inside in a rush.

 

Waverly watched, distraught, as the doors closed and her wife disappeared.

 

Her hand reached into her pocket and she pulled out the plastic stick she’d shoved inside, the pink plus sign staring back at her mockingly.

 

“You’re going to be a Mommy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this is a fluffy fic, despite that opening!
> 
> Thanks to DarkWiccan for the artwork :)


	2. Chapter 2

Wynonna’s boots pounded against the floor beneath as she hurried down the hospital corridor.

 

Her coat swished from side to side as her eagle eyes scanned every available space for her sister.  She finally recognized the rainbow scrunchie sitting atop a head of brown hair.

 

“Waverly!”

 

Waverly lifted her head from her hands and stood up from the wobbly chair upon hearing Wynonna’s voice.

 

Wynonna closed the space between them quickly and took Waverly into a hug.

 

“Dolls filled me in. Why didn’t you call me?”

 

“Where’s Alice?” Waverly choked out, her voice raw from the silent sobbing she’d been holding in.

 

“She’s with Doc,” Wynonna reassured, “How’s Haught?”

 

“Haught-Earp,” Waverly hissed in response as if using Nicole’s married name was the most important thing right now.

 

“You’d have to be crazy or crazy in love to take on our name,” Wynonna joked.

 

Waverly backed up against the wall and swiped at her eye.

 

“They took her to surgery, I don’t know anything else,” she said, looking up to meet her sister’s eye, “There was a lot of blood, Wynonna.”

 

“She’ll be okay,” Wynonna replied confidently, “She’s pulled through worse, babygirl.”

 

Waverly let out a sound of frustration.

 

“I thought this bullshit ended when we broke the curse.”

 

“She’s still a cop,” Wynonna reasoned, “Dolls said it was a robbery gone wrong.”

 

“Why wasn’t she wearing a bulletproof vest?” Waverly asked clearly annoyed.

 

“She was off duty. Just heard the call on the radio and ran into it,” Wynonna explained.

 

Waverly dropped back into the chair, her chin falling into her upturned palms.

 

“My stupid, brave baby.”

 

She wiped her cheeks to rid them of the tears that fell.

 

“Was anyone else hurt?”

 

Wynonna shook her head.

 

“The robber got spooked after letting the shot off and ran. They caught him down the street.”

 

“Can we resurrect the Widows so I can give them a gift?” Waverly quipped tersely.

 

“We have some suspicious sludge in the lock-up I could sneak into his cell,” Wynonna suggested, only half-joking.

 

“Are we talking Mictian level badness or like that playdough mix Nicole makes for Alice to play with?” Waverly asked, sniffling.

 

Wynonna considered it.

 

“More like that time I found a melted starburst under my shoe, but smells like it passed through a skunk. Oh, and it eats human flesh.”

 

A nurse gave them a startled look as she passed, but Wynonna just smiled and waved, a tip she’d picked up from her sister.

 

Waverly’s arms settled across her chest and she tapped her foot impatiently for a few moments before marching up to the nurses’ station and slapped her hands on the desk.

 

“Can’t you give me some more information!?”

 

The women sitting behind gave her a wary eye.

 

“What was the name again?”

 

Waverly’s eyes widened in annoyance.

 

“Nicole Haught-Earp! Sheriff Haught, Nicole Haught, my wife!”

 

The nurse stood to her full height.

 

“Ma’am, do I need to call security?”

 

Waverly balled fists dropped by her sides.

 

“Ede faecam,” she swore under her breath.

 

Wynonna jumped up and put her arm around Waverly’s shoulders.

 

“You know you’ve pissed her off when she breaks out the Latin,” she muttered as she veered her sister back to the seats, “The nice lady nurse is neither the asshat who shot your reckless wife or said, reckless wife. So let’s not break out the whackin’ sticks just yet, okay?”

 

She sat Waverly back down and sat beside her, stretching her legs out.

 

“You think they’d put some padding or something on these things. Like people don’t feel bad enough being in this place.”

 

“You don’t have to stay,” Waverly replied, voice choked again.

 

Wynonna put an arm around Waverly again and pulled her in, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

 

“Yes, I do.”

 

Waverly accepted the comfort and leaned into her sister.

 

What seemed like a very long time passed and Waverly had left to use the restroom. Sitting on the toilet made her flashback to being in the same position hours before, in what had been one of the most joyous and then most horrible moments of her life.

 

It suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks and her hand flew to her stomach.

 

“Whoa,” she whispered breathlessly.

 

Outside, a short, blonde woman in pale blue scrubs approached Wynonna.

 

“You’re Sheriff Haught’s wife?”

 

Wynonna balked.

 

“Ho, no, there’s no ring here,” she said, pushing the front of her toes down to stand, “Except for the one in my vagina because one mini-me is enough, cool as she may be.”

 

Waverly came rushing up behind.

 

“I’m her wife,” she interjected quickly, “What’s happening, is she okay?”

 

The doctor nodded.

 

“Yes, ma’am. She’s out of surgery. I can take you to her for a brief visit.”

 

Waverly looked back at Wynonna, who pushed her back.

 

“Go.”

 

Waverly grabbed the jacket she’d shrugged off and fell into step with the doctor, who walked her to the recovery unit upstairs.

 

“The bullet passed through the muscles surrounding the abdomen but never entered the actual abdominal cavity, so there were no injuries to her organs. She lost a significant amount of blood but we were able to replenish during surgery and suture the wound. She should have no long-term damage post-recovery and be back on her feet in a short amount of time.”

 

Waverly’s mouth hung open, stunned, and she had to force herself to close it.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m not used to getting good news in a hospital.”

 

The doctor brought Waverly into a private room, where Nicole was lying asleep on a bed, pale but very much intact and free of that sea of red around her abdomen that Waverly had last seen her in.

 

“She won’t wake up for a while, but you can hold her hand for a few minutes,” the doctor advised before leaving the room.

 

Waverly moved closer and stood over Nicole, taking a hand between both of hers. It seemed so weak and limp in her grasp, not the usual strong hand she was used to holding her. She lifted it to her mouth and kissed Nicole’s knuckles, which were slightly roughed up.

 

“Hey sweetie-pie,” she greeted, sniffling and exhaling slowly to keep herself composed.

 

After a moment she realized Nicole didn’t have her ring on. She panicked, but then saw the bag hanging off the end of her bed with Nicole’s things in it. She noticed the cracked cellphone and made a note to get a new one, then fished out the wedding band from the corner.

 

She delicately slid it onto Nicole’s finger.

 

“With all of my heart, my love,” she recited the vow she said the first time she’d done that action.

 

She smoothed out the hospital gown across Nicole’s collarbone like she did every morning to her wife’s uniform before she went off to work.

 

“You’ll have to get a new uniform,” she mused quietly, “Wonder if I can convince you to get back into those khakis?”

 

She missed the bashful smile that should have graced her wife’s pale lips. She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to them as if she might transfer some life to them.

 

“You’re gonna be okay Nicole,” she promised, leaning her head down against Nicole’s, so her nose pressed against the top of her wife’s ear, “And I’d be really glad if you stopped throwing yourself in front of wayward bullets.”

 

She inhaled deeply, getting a hint of vanilla dip donuts in one of the rare crevices that hadn’t been overtaken by the smell of disinfectant and antiseptic.

 

She brought their conjoined hands and pressed it against her belly.

 

“Because we need you, okay? We need you.”

 

Waverly stayed like that for a few moments until a garbled voice broke the silence.

 

“We?”

 

Waverly pulled back in surprise.

 

“Nicole,” she said in relief, but it continued in alarm when she saw how much pain Nicole was trying to conceal, “Can I get some help in here!?”

 

Nicole's eyes were wide as her gaze lifted from her hands on Waverly’s stomach up to her wife’s face.

 

“You said ‘we’.”

 

Waverly floundered for a moment, her hand flying out to the side. This moment had been snatched from her, she didn’t want Nicole remembering it to be in the midst of pain too.

 

“Me and Alice and Wynonna, even if she’d never admit it. The boys too. We all need our Sheriff. Hell, the whole town needs you.”

 

Nicole took in a short breath.

 

“Waverly,” she croaked, her glassy eyes focusing on her wife’s face, “Are you?”

 

The question was so short and breathy, Waverly wouldn’t have heard if she wasn’t so close.

 

She pursed her lips for a moment, but she couldn’t hold it in. She cupped the back of Nicole’s head and pressed their foreheads together.

 

“Well now you’ve ruined my plans,” she said through a tearful laugh, “I was going to make you a meal with baby shrimp and baby spinach and those stupid Babybel cheeses you make me pack in your lunches and see how long it took you to guess.”

 

She splayed her fingers out over Nicole’s cheek, where a pained smiled broke out on her face and a tear threatened to fall.

 

“You’re just too smart.”

 

Nicole opened her mouth to speak, but then her eyes started to roll back into her head and Waverly bolted to the doorway.

 

“Seriously, someone help her, she’s in pain!”

 

She rushed back to hold Nicole’s hand, gripping it tightly while the doctor from earlier and a different male nurse tended to her. They inserted something into her drip and Nicole drifted back to unconsciousness.

 

“She woke up sooner than anticipated,” the doctor explained when everything had calmed again, “We’ve administered a sedative and an analgesic. She’ll sleep until the morning and shouldn’t be in any pain when she wakes up.”

 

“Shouldn’t be?” Waverly asked her eyebrow arching at a terrifying angle.

 

“We will, of course, adjust as necessary,” the doctor reassured, “And I’m sorry but visiting hours on this unit are limited. I would suggest you go home and try to get a good night’s sleep. She’ll be in the medical unit tomorrow and you can start assessing her home recovery plans.”

 

Waverly nodded and used both index fingers to wipe her eyes free of the tears that had formed. She went back to Nicole and kissed her forehead.

 

“I…”

 

She paused and placed her hand over Nicole’s briefly squeezing it.

 

“ _We’ll_ be back to see you soon.”


	3. Chapter 3

Waverly pushed her granola around her bowl, the same almond making its third trip around a blueberry.

 

Wynonna hunched over the back of Waverly’s chair at the kitchen table and grabbed her sister’s wrist, helping her scoop up some granola and making it rise to her mouth.

 

“Food goes on spoon, spoon goes in mouth, mouth chews and swallows and you’re on your own for the rest of it.”

 

“My appetite is a little suppressed right now, Wynonna,” Waverly replied in as kind a voice as she could muster, which was not for her sister’s sake but for the other occupant of the table.

 

Wynonna motioned to the tiny three-foot human sitting across the table, her hair still messy from not being brushed. She was bent over a piece of paper, coloring in.

 

“C’mon, I tell the kid she has to eat her breakfast, so you do too. Aren’t you supposed to the queen of the good example?”

 

Waverly threw some serious side eye but finished her breakfast without complaint.

 

As she was finishing up, Alice slid off the booster seat on her chair and padded over to the other side.

 

“Auntie Wave?”

 

Waverly looked down at her niece with a smile she didn’t have to force. She really was the apple of all of their eyes.

 

“Yes, honey bunny?”

 

Alice thrust the paper up at her.

 

“Will you give this to Auntie Nicole in the hop’ital?”

 

Waverly took the drawing and laid it out on the table. It was a full page with a big house, a bunch of scribbled figures and no less than three rainbows.

 

“Let me see this,” she said, pulling Alice up onto her knee, “What have we got here? Is this you and Auntie Nicole in your hats?”

 

Alice nodded at the big and little persons in what were supposed to be Stetsons — the first gift Alice had ever received from her Auntie Nicole. She still liked to wear it, much to Wynonna’s constant mockery — aimed only at the ‘big’ and never at the ‘little’, of course.

 

Alice stabbed her finger down at each of the other figures.

 

“And C’amity and you, Auntie Wave. You’re holding Auntie Nicole’s hand.”

 

Waverly felt her heart swell and held her niece a little tighter. Alice pointed at two squiggles atop one of the rainbows.

 

“That’s Jem and Doccy.”

 

Wynonna peered over their shoulders and snorted.

 

“I’m sure Jeremy would love to be riding a rainbow with Doc,” she commented with a grin, “Hey, where am I kid?”

 

Alice pointed at a top window of the house.

 

“Nonnee, in your room with Dolly.”

 

Waverly shot Wynonna a look, who held her hands up defensively.

 

“Hey, at least I keep it in my room.”

 

Waverly’s cheeks tinged pink. That had been _one_ time and they were supposed to have the house to themselves. Really, it was Wynonna’s fault for not calling ahead to say she’d had to collect Alice from Doc’s place early because she was sick. At least Alice had been feverish and asleep, thrown over Wynonna’s shoulder.

 

“Well, maybe _Dolly_ needs to get some more air once in a while.”

 

When Alice had first come to live with them, it had been an understandably difficult transition. Gus had stayed for a few weeks until she was settled, and Nicole and Waverly had moved back to the homestead to help take care of her. Alice had actually met Nicole a number of times before they broke the curse and their bond had helped make her feel safe in her new surroundings.

 

Of course, they hadn’t just upped and rerouted her the day the curse was broken. Wynonna and Waverly went to stay with Gus for a little while and they all came back together.

 

Alice knew Wynonna was her mom and Doc was her dad; teachers or other people would refer to them as such and she knew who was being talked about. But they were never titles she called them.

 

Wynonna was fine with it, she never saw herself as a 'mommy' anyway. She’d awkwardly introduced herself by her name when they’d finally met and Alice had naturally changed it to ‘Nonnee’ as she tried to work out the unusual name and relationship in her young mind.

 

Wynonna had been so happy to see her and know her; she didn’t care what the name was, so she’d been called it since. Though if anyone else ever tried to call her that, they’d find themselves on the receiving end of Peacemaker in a flash. At least, that’s what she told them. The gun was at the bottom of the well again; an heirloom she was all too happy not to have to pass on.

 

Waverly had quickly become Wave because Gus’s place had been by the beach. It had been the placed they played in the sand and got to know each other. The way Alice’s face had lit up when Wynonna had off-handedly called Waverly ‘Wave’ and she realized her auntie was a real, live Wave was an imagine Waverly would cherish forever.

 

Doc had impatiently waited for her to come to Purgatory to meet his beloved Alice. Getting on a plane was hard with no ID and though he was happy to drive, the women had suggested it would be best for Alice to ease her into the introductions.

 

It had been a lonely time, even with Jeremy stopping by to make jokes he didn’t understand and Nicole bringing food to keep him fed. But mostly he’d moped. Breaking the curse hadn’t been without its heartbreak for him either. He’d had to deal with his new mortality and his illness being brought out, though thankfully Jeremy was able to cure it.

 

And even after learning of what Rosita tried to do the day Alice was born, watching Wynonna make that shot when the time had come had killed a little piece of him. But the rest of it held together. For his daughter. It was through her he had discovered a new kind of immortality.

 

Their situation had never been traditional, so he hadn’t minded when Alice started calling him ‘Doccy’ instead of Daddy. His cheeks had blushed the first time she did so.

 

It became clear Alice wasn’t one for accepting a name as given when Jeremy became Jem (or Jemmy if they got excited playing Mario Kart together). And after seeming overwhelmed for a moment when Dolls introduced himself as Deputy Marshal Xavier Dolls — with a formal handshake — her three-year-old brain worked out the last name and she became very excited to have a real-life Dolly to play with. Dolls had tried to redirect her just to Dolls, or even Xavi if pushed, but it was too late. He was Dolly now and sometimes had to live up to his name. Wynonna had immediately gone out to buy a collection of wigs for her daughter to play with.

 

Waverly kissed the top of Alice’s head.

 

“I bet this will make her owie all better.”

 

Alice looked back hopefully.

 

“And Auntie Nicole can come home?”

 

The only person whom Alice called by her full name, always, was Nicole. And that was because the first time they’d met, in a tiny hotel room in rural Eastern Canada, Nicole had blurted out ‘Hi I’m your Auntie Nicole’ and Alice had been so happy to have an aunt, she kept repeating the full title until it stuck. Gus was just ‘Gus’ to her, too motherly to be an aunt and yet she knew not her mother.

 

Even as a toddler she was starting to see her family wasn’t set up like others. Nicole had represented a familiar image of what she saw in the media and in her peer group and even though her tiny two-year-old brain had no comprehension of all of this inner processing and turmoil, she knew Nicole’s presence in her life made her happy and feel like she belonged.

 

And even more than she had been when passing Alice off to be brought to Gus, Nicole was smitten.

 

Wynonna had almost killed her, of course, for slipping her name in. Promised to peacemaker her between the eyes if she’d jeopardized her daughter in any way, but Nicole assured her nothing would happen to that girl. Because she meant it. She would protect that girl with her life.

 

Waverly hadn’t been mad at her but was sad for a little while that Alice knew an auntie and it wasn’t her. Then she thought of what it meant, for Nicole to assert herself like that in their family. That was a promise-by-proxy and it just made her all the more resolute to join them all together again.

 

Of course, Nicole and Alice’s established bond had been one of the reasons transitioning Alice back to Purgatory had worked out at all. Nicole stayed up with Alice when she had nightmares, helped set them all up in a routine now that their mission was over and had taken care of getting her enrolled in school.

 

Wynonna had taken Nicole aside and given her a hug, something she hadn’t done since that day in the hospital when she was cured of the widow bite. Then Alice had run over and joined in and Waverly had felt her sense of jealousy evaporate into nothing. Nicole was Alice’s auntie through and through and watching them interact had been what made her so eager when they started talking about having a baby.

 

They would love whatever child came into their family as much as the one that was already there.

 

Waverly tried to seem upbeat.

 

“I hope so, really soon. I have to ask all the doctors.”

 

“They can ‘ave my cookie if Auntie Nicole comes home,” Alice offered graciously.

 

Waverly felt herself get choked up.

 

“I’ll tell them.”

 

Wynonna swooped in and picked Alice up from under her arms.

 

“Alright, kiddo. Auntie Wave has already been goo, we can’t handle her turning into mush too.”

 

She put Alice down.

 

“Apparently I’m not allowed to send you to school again without brushing your hair so let’s get to it.”

 

Alice frowned.

 

“I don’t like it.”

 

Wynonna threw her hands up.

  
“Hey, tell them, not me,” she said, patting Alice’s back to guide her towards the stairs, before turning back to Waverly, “Doc said he’s covering the bar and we’re good at HQ so just take care of Haught.”

 

“You know, I’m a Haught now too,” Waverly retorted.

 

“I know,” Wynonna replied easily, “Advice stands.”

 

Waverly smiled softly and nodded. Wynonna winked and then continued after Alice.

 

“I don’t see brushing!”

 

She ran after her daughter, who squealed in delight and ran from the chase.

 

Waverly looked after them, smiling still. Alice had been such a powerful force in their family, before and after she’d come to live with them and she couldn’t wait for her and Nicole’s child to add to the wonderful chaos.

 

Though she hoped not the kind of chaos they were in right then.

 

She put a hand on her stomach and rubbed in circles.

 

“Your Mommy is bulletproof, don’t you worry.”

 

“Who are you talking to?” Wynonna asked, her head popping back in the kitchen.

 

“No one!” Waverly said a little too quickly, standing up, “Just myself. Making plans. I’m a planner.”

 

She went over to the fridge and took out things to make sandwiches to bring to Nicole. She opened a vanilla pudding and tried to spread it on the bread.

 

“Didn’t get much sleep last night, huh?” Wynonna asked.

 

Waverly realized what she was doing and cleared her throat.

 

“I guess not.”

 

Wynonna poured her a mug of coffee.

 

“You miss a Haught body when it’s not around to hold onto.”

 

“I miss being sure my wife isn’t screaming in pain,” Waverly replied in a short tone, ignoring the coffee.

 

Wynonna opened her mouth to retort about a different kind of screaming, but Waverly shot her a look before she had a chance.

 

Wynonna finished her own coffee and went to the fridge to take out Alice’s lunchbox. She had to reach behind something to get it and pulled it out in disgust.

 

“Ew, who left this old tuna casserole in here?” she asked, opening the lid to the putrid mess, “Oh wait, it was me.”

 

Waverly turned from discreetly leaving the coffee in the sink, ready to yell at her sister for not keeping her section of the refrigerator clean. As soon as she did, the waft hit her nose and her stomach lurched.

 

A hand covered her mouth and she bolted for the stairs.

 

“Jeez, you’ve thrown up demon goo and been covered in the blood of several different kinds of creatures but you can’t handle a little old leftovers?” Wynonna called after her.

 

“What’s demon goo, Nonnee?” Alice asked earnestly, her little backpack on her back ready for a non-demonic day at Kindergarten.

 

Only Wynonna’s kid would ignore the ‘blood of several creatures’ part.

 

“As ugly as you’d imagine,” Wynonna quipped, “Waverly, are you alright up there?”

 

Waverly flushed and rested her cheek on the cool porcelain of the toilet.

 

“Yes,” she called down, “Alice is going to be late for school!”

 

The front door slammed closed moments later and Waverly sat back against the wall.

 

She dropped her head to her knees and found herself crying.

 

She’d wanted this pregnancy this much; even this bit, the throwing up because it was all part of it. But she thought she’d have Nicole behind her, holding back her hair and getting her a glass of water and some crackers.

 

They’d been through every step of the way of this journey together, just the two of them (and assorted medical staff in The Big City). It was stupid and entirely gross, but she’d wanted Nicole to be there for her first bout of morning sickness. She wanted them to experience it all together.

 

_Pull yourself together, girl. She’ll be home in a few days and probably annoying the crap out of you with all of her hovering._

 

She laughed to herself and wiped her eyes.

 

She stood herself up with some forced perkiness and washed her hands and brushed her teeth. She checked her watch and realized visiting hours would start soon, so she hurried through the house to get to her Jeep as quickly as possible.

 

She got stuck in traffic, much to her annoyance, and reminded her why she didn’t often leave Purgatory.

 

Of course, now Nicole had taken her to the ocean and across the actual border, not just that of the Ghost River Triangle, she left Purgatory sometimes. But traffic wasn’t usually a feature.

 

She turned on the radio to distract her mind and flicked through channels until it landed on a song she recognized: ‘Stick With Me Baby’ by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.

 

Waverly smiled.

 

Nicole had proposed to this song.

 

On their couch, before they’d moved back to the Homestead. The ring still upstairs in her sock drawer, because she’d been agonizing over how to do it. It was going to be _right_ this time, because Waverly deserved everything to be perfect.

 

The perfect place — was there a place in Purgatory with no bad memories whatsoever? Should she take her someplace else? Could she pull off the surprise?

 

The perfect time — was Waverly ready? Should she give them longer together? Should their relationship progression take a backburner to all the other crap going on in their lives? Should she even be the one doing this? Did Waverly even want this?

 

The perfect moment — could there ever be one?

 

But as Nicole had looked across at Waverly, legs in her lap and lit up like an angel by the soft lighting behind them, laughing at some dumb joke she’d just made; the words had been blurted out.

 

For once Nicole wasn’t in her head, she was just in love.

 

And Waverly had smiled just like she was right then, listening to the song.

 

 She looked at Nicole like she was silly for even having to ask and said ‘of course’,

 

Because that’s what Nicole was to her.

 

‘Officer Haught, of course.’

 

The first time they’d met, the first time she’d realized her attraction, the first time they’d kiss, the first time they’d made love.

 

The first time she knew she loved Nicole.

 

‘Of course’, she’d finally realized, that that was how love was supposed to feel.

 

The rest of the ride to the hospital was with more pleasant thoughts. She stopped briefly at a store and carried what she brought into the nurse's station.

 

“Hello,” she said cheerily, “I was here yesterday and may have been a bit of a grump over my wife going and getting herself shot. I’m sorry if I offended anyone.”

 

She offered the box of muffins, which were taken with some caution and some amusement.

 

“Sorry I didn’t have time to make them myself.”

 

The nurse, a different woman from the day before but one who had been on duty during the shift, offered a small smile.

 

“Sheriff Haught is in room 312.”

 

“Thank you very much,” Waverly replied gratefully and quickly followed the signage to the right room.

 

Nicole was sitting up, awake, in bed, with a nurse taking her blood pressure. Her hair was static in places, looking as unbrushed as Alice’s had been that morning and her face was free of any pained creases.

 

In fact, she seemed quite animated and happy and only brightened more when Waverly entered the room.

 

“Hey cutie!” she shouted, then giggled as she looked at Waverly’s mid-section, “Little cutie.”

 

“Oh my god, Nicole,” Waverly breathed in relief as she rushed to her wife’s side, “How are you feeling?”

 

Nicole quickly raised both of her arms, almost upper-cutting the nurse and straining her wound at the same time, not that she noticed.

 

“I feel amazing!”

 

Her pitch was high and her words comically slurred.

 

Waverly shot the nurse an apologetic look as she caught Nicole’s arms.

 

“I see they didn’t hold back on those painkillers,” she said, settling her wife’s arms back down, “Nicole, you have to take it easy.”

 

“I wanna celebrate,” Nicole replied excitedly.

 

Waverly covered Nicole’s hand and ran her thumb over the knuckles. It usually calmed her down after a tough day at work.

 

“I know but if you hurt yourself there’s nothing worth celebrating.”

 

“Not that!” Nicole replied in an over-exaggerated tone, her hips antsy, “I'm going to be a mommy!“

 

The nurse looked up and at Nicole’s stomach, suddenly alarmed.

 

“She’s not pregnant,” Waverly said quickly, looking at Nicole pointedly, “I am.”

 

Nicole grinned from ear to ear.

 

“I knocked her up.”

 

She made an ‘O’ shape with each thumb and index finger and bumped them together repeatedly.

 

Waverly cleared her throat.

 

“Not quite how it happened.”

 

The nurse put the chart down and left the room with an indiscernible shake of her head. Waverly tried to give the same look to Nicole, but it was hard to resist those big, brown eyes.

 

“But I can't say you didn't try your very hardest to get me pregnant that way.”

 

Nicole grinned some more and Waverly put her hands on her hips.

 

“You’re not supposed to tell anybody. We agreed that.”

 

“I’ll whisper next time,” Nicole replied in a stage whisper that indicated her promise would be useless.

 

Waverly tapped Nicole’s head.

 

“You’ll keep it inside that brain.”

 

“Can’t,” Nicole replied, shaking her head and sending some glassy heart-eyes, “Too happy.”

 

Waverly leaned in close and held her wife’s face in her hands.

 

“I love you so much, Nicole,” she said with tears of happiness springing in her eyes, “And I’m so excited that we’re going to be mommies together.”

 

She kissed Nicole’s temple, then her lips, lingering just long enough to feel it. She rested their foreheads together and stroked the line of Nicole’s jaw under her thumb.

 

“But until we get you off these loopy meds you need to keep those lips shut, okay?”

 

Nicole tried to give a seductive look but it didn’t quite carry.

 

“Better make me.”

 

Waverly laughed, releasing some tension.

 

“Even high on painkillers, you try to have game.”

 

“There is no try,” Nicole advised sagely, or at least it would have been if she hadn’t been so out of it.

 

Waverly held Nicole’s head to her chest for a moment.

 

“Don’t think we’re not going to talk about running into robberies vestless.”

 

Nicole’s eyes widened.

 

“But I love you,” she gushed, as it sometimes got her on the right side of her wife again, “And you know you’re just…so pretty.”

 

Waverly arched an eyebrow.

 

“I’m so, so tired?” Nicole tried.

 

“Oh, sure you are,” Waverly retorted, watching Nicole’s brow furrowing, “Funny how you always sober up when you know you’re in trouble.”

 

Nicole’s mouth protruded into a pout and her eyes dropped into a puppy dog stare.

 

“Lay with me?”

 

Waverly hesitated, but she was helpless to that look. She perched herself right at the edge of Nicole’s good side. Nicole rested her head on Waverly’s shoulder. She put an arm loosely around Waverly’s waist and touched her stomach.

 

“Hi, little baby. I’m so glad you’re in there. We wanted you for a long, long time.”

 

Waverly closed her eyes. This was what she wanted. Enjoying the excitement of this new venture.

 

She suddenly had a flash of how close she came to losing Nicole and opened her eyes quickly.

 

“I hope the guy who did this rots.”

 

“Boys ‘re in this mornin’,” Nicole replied, “Said he’s been sent to county.”

 

She sighed.

 

“He was just a scared kid. Woulda got the gun offa him if that damn lady hadn’t tried to run.”

 

“Hostages do tend to be selfish like that,” Waverly mused, “It was nice of the boys to come visit you.”

 

She paused.

 

“Who’s taking over the station? Please tell me Lonnie isn’t Sheriff in your absence.”

 

“‘m the Sheriff,” Nicole replied proudly.

 

Waverly smiled.

 

“Yes you are, baby. The best there is. I was telling Baby Haught-Earp all about how brave their Mommy is last night.”

 

It had been the only way to keep herself calm.

 

Nicole traced patterns over Waverly’s shirt.

 

“Then I get to tell ‘em how ‘strodinary you are.”

 

Nicole whispering sweet nothings to their baby about her was one of the most emotionally moving things Waverly had experienced. It didn’t matter that Nicole was fuzzy on painkillers or that they were sitting in a hospital bed with her recovering from a gunshot wound. It was the first moment of them bonding together as a family and it meant everything.

 

It was so peaceful, and Waverly was so tired from her sleepless night that she ended up falling asleep on the spot.

 

She didn’t stir until she felt repeated pokes in her shoulder.

 

“Waves. Waves. Waverly.”

 

Waverly startled so quickly that she fell right off the bed and onto her butt on the floor.

 

“Wave!” Nicole said, alarmed, but was stopped from moving to help by the doctor that had entered the room, for whom Nicole was waking her wife in the first place.

 

Waverly blushed as the tall man in a long white coat helped her to her feet.

 

“The baby!” Nicole said in a panic.

 

Waverly’s eyes widened and she looked down at your stomach.

 

“How far along are you ma’am?” the doctor inquired.

 

“Um, I just found out,” Waverly replied, paling.

 

“The embryo is very well cushioned, don’t worry,” the doctor reassured, “If you feel any abnormal cramping or spotting, just let us know. But I highly doubt you’ll experience anything but a lightly bruised coccyx.”

 

Nicole reached over and took Waverly’s fingers and they shared a look of relief.

 

It hit them both how much they cared for this tiny, tiny thing already.

 

The doctor gave them a full update on the surgery and Nicole’s post-surgery bloodwork, mentioning that she was very lucky.

 

“When can I be back on the job, doc?” Nicole asked hopefully and Waverly tried very hard not to roll her eyes.

 

“Avoiding infection or complication, you should be good for desk work in a week or two. Active duty will depend on your recovery and pain levels, but it’s a few weeks away.”

 

Nicole pouted again.

 

“Awh nuts.”

 

“Frankly I think pushing paper around for a little while is fantastic news,” Waverly added in, “Thank you, doctor.”

 

He nodded, answered a few more questions about Nicole’s recovery and went on his way.

 

Waverly gave Nicole a gentle hug and fluffed her pillow.

 

“I should get shot more often,” Nicole joked.

 

“Shut your mouth, Mrs. Haught-Earp,” Waverly retorted but was smiling

 

Quite a while later, Wynonna appeared through the doorway, dropping a brown paper bag onto the over-bed table.

 

“You forgot these. Honestly, I would have just eaten them if the kid’s picture wasn’t sitting with them, guilting me out.”

 

“Shit,” Waverly said under her breath, “I forgot the picture.”

 

Nicole offered a big grin for Wynonna.

 

“Hi, Auntie Wynona!”

 

Waverly’s eyebrows shot up, but Wynonna just chuckled.

 

“They must have given her the good stuff,” she joked, then leaned over to annunciate clearly at Nicole, “I’m your _sister-in-law_.”

 

Waverly mouthed ‘shut up’ to Nicole, who pursed her lips together apologetically.

 

Wynonna didn’t notice as she dropped into the visitor’s chair.

 

“Grudgingly.”

 

She leaned back and crossed her feet on the side of the bed.

 

“You did save the life of the donut shop owner, so at least you’re good for some free donuts for a while.”

 

“Never mind the endless cooking, cleaning and childminding she does for you,” Waverly commented pointedly, “Who holds up a donut store anyway?”

 

“Someone who likes a little tasty with their thievery,” Wynonna replied, “Also someone who’s high as balls.”

 

“Bullets are not tasty,” Nicole interjected, shaking her head in dissatisfaction, “Neither are—”

 

“Alice drew you a picture,” Waverly cut in quickly, taking the folded picture from the bag to show Nicole, “And she offered her cookie if the doctors would let you come home.”

 

“She gets her compassion from me,” Wynonna remarked, grinning.

 

“She drew all of us, even Calamity Jane,” Waverly said, pointing out everyone.

 

Nicole nodded at Wynonna.

 

“Where’re you?”

 

Waverly pointed to the bedroom window.

 

“In her bedroom with Dolly.”

 

Nicole snickered.

 

“‘bout right.”

 

She tried to twist to hang it between the bars of the bed, but a grunt of pain escaped in the process.

 

Wynonna sat up straight, ready to help and Waverly eased her wife back down.

 

“Nicole,” she warned softly, “Take it easy. _We_ need you at home.”

 

She looked at Nicole pointedly, who nodded diligently.

 

“It’s true,” Wynonna piped up, “Did you know I had to take my own kid to school this morning? And now I’m your lunch delivery driver apparently.”

 

Waverly hung the picture for her, and took out the contents of the brown bag; sandwiches, fruit, the aforementioned cheese and of course, a pickle.

 

“Can I have your pickle?” Wynonna asked.

 

Waverly slapped Wynonna’s hand away.

 

“No, Nicole loves them.”

 

“Alright, Jeez,” Wynonna replied, holding her hands up, “Not like I drove all this way to deliver them or anything.”

 

“She can have my pickle,” Nicole offered with exaggerated graciousness, “She did drive.”

 

Wynonna snapped up the pickle before it was taken again.

 

“Okay, whatever,” Waverly agreed, “Let me go get you some water.”

 

She left the room and Wynonna arched an eyebrow in Nicole’s direction.

 

“Still haven’t told her you hate pickles huh?”

 

“Bite me, Burp,” Nicole shot back, then frowned as her hazy brain worked out what she said, “I mean Earp.”

 

Wynonna finished the pickle and belched.

 

“Oooh,” Nicole said, pulling a wide-eyed surprised face, “Am I psychic?”

 

Wynonna scrunched the paper bag in her hand and tossed it at Nicole's head, who flinched.

 

“You didn't see that coming.”

 

Waverly returned with a bottle of water and twisted the cap off.

 

“Drink this, baby. You heard the doctor, if you’re still doing well by the weekend you can come home. You need to stay hydrated.”

 

Wynonna shook the saline bag attached to Nicole’s IV.

 

“It’s literally going into her veins.”

 

“Don’t you need to collect Alice soon?” Waverly asked, fixing Wynonna with a glare.

 

Wynonna checked her watch and jumped up.

 

“Shit. Damn, Haught, get your butt back quick. I am not a school run kinda person. This morning I got asked to _bake_ for a _bake sale_.”

 

She stole the last half of Nicole’s sandwich and ran out, her keys jangling in her hand.

 

“Why do we put up with her?” Waverly asked with a puff of frustration, “Luckily I baked those cookies already.”

 

“Because she’s family,” Nicole answered, “And she makes good mint juleps. It’s like toothpaste that burns!”

 

Waverly had to concede that point as she perched delicately beside Nicole again.

 

“What can I do for you?”

 

“Marry me?” Nicole suggested.

 

“I already did that,” Waverly responded kindly.

 

“But it was a lot of fun, right?” Nicole replied giddily.

 

“The most fun,” Waverly confirmed, “Why don’t you try to get some sleep, my love.”

 

Nicole pouted sadly.

 

“You know I can’t sleep without my Wave machine.”

 

“Oh, alright,” Waverly relented, smiling all the way through.

 

She positioned herself as she was before, alongside Nicole on her good side. She usually made comforting ripple motions on her wife’s stomach, but as the area was out of bounds, she held Nicole’s head to the crook of her neck and did it to the back of her head.

 

After a few minutes, Nicole was silently snoring against her skin.

  
Waverly didn’t even care that she was drooling a little bit too.

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!”

 

Waverly jumped down from the driver’s side of her Jeep and ran around to the other side to help Nicole down.

 

“You couldn’t have driven the Subaru with the reasonable distance between seat and ground?” Nicole asked wryly, accepting her wife’s help.

 

She was very glad to finally be home from the hospital and eager to get back to normal life, even if it included Waverly fussing for a while. She had plenty of her own fussing she planned to do too.

 

“Wynonna needed it to get Alice from school,” Waverly replied, grabbing Nicole’s crutches from the back, “You’re the one who suggested we get a ‘family’ car.”

 

“Because neither you nor your sister has any comprehension of what is a reasonable vehicle to have a child in,” Nicole retorted, then grimaced when Waverly tried to hand her the crutches, “I don’t need those. I barely hurt anymore.”

 

“They’ll help put less pressure on your muscles,” Waverly said, standing rooted to the spot in front of Nicole until she took the crutches under her arms.

 

Waverly went ahead to open the door. A few feet inside the door, Wynonna was standing with Alice at her feet, holding a balloon and a sign with a scrawled ‘Welcome Home’ with three backward ‘E’s.

 

“Remember we talked about gentle hugs?” Waverly whispered.

 

Alice was squirming on the spot, so excited for Nicole to be coming home.

 

“I ‘memba Auntie Wave,” she replied seriously.

 

Waverly winked at her and turned back to see Nicole struggling up the steps.

 

“Seriously, Waverly, these crutches are more of a hindrance than a help,” she griped as she finally got up, “It’s no worse than a punch in the gut and I’ve gotten plenty of those.”

 

She started to fix her wife with a glare but instead lit up when she saw the welcome party waiting for her.

 

“Hey, Alice!”

 

“What am I, chopped liver?” Wynonna huffed.

 

Alice hurried forwards and Nicole dropped the crutches and got on her knees, albeit slower than she usually would.

 

Alice was careful to offer a gentle hug and Nicole swooped her up into a bigger one.

 

“I missed you so much, kiddo.”

 

“I missed you too, Auntie Nicole,” Alice replied, beaming happily into Nicole’s neck, “Is your owie all betta?”

 

“It is after that great hug,” Nicole replied, cupping Alice’s small cheek, “Thank you for the picture you drew me, I brought it home to put on the fridge.”

 

Calamity Jane made her presence known and her happiness at Nicole being home by brushing up against her. Alice smiled proudly.

 

“I took care a’her. Two bowls a’food and new water erry day.”

 

Nicole kissed Alice’s forehead.

 

“You’re the best. I knew I could trust you.”

 

Alice pulled on Nicole’s hand.

 

“We got you presents Aunty Nicole.”

 

“Presents? Wow,” Nicole replied, hiding the lingering pain as she stood again.

 

Ignoring the crutches and Waverly’s pointed stare, she gently walked over to the couch and sat with Alice. The little girl was so excited to see her and it warmed her heart.

 

Being the first of the Purgatory family Alice ever really knew, Nicole and her had always shared a close bond. But it was a twist of faith that had allowed the limited, cautious contact.

 

It was a year after Alice was born that Nedley announced his retirement. A bit sooner than he anticipated, but there was only so much high-intensity supernatural drama a man could take. In order to take over the role, Nicole had had to submit to training and networking and shadowing. And that had meant traveling, all over the country.

 

And so, covert meetings started to be arranged with Gus when Alice was just a little over a year. Originally to hand some money over and check in, but once they knew Nicole’s travels weren’t being tracked, Alice would come along too. Never in the same place, never in the same town, never anywhere that Nicole didn’t have a completely unsuspicious reason for traveling to.

 

Wynonna knew she couldn’t have a picture or anything identifying, but when Nicole had returned with a tiny snippet of her hair she’d actually allowed her sister’s then-girlfriend to see her cry.

 

After that, things had gotten a little intense. Wynonna had gone into complete blinkered mode and was chasing revenants and whiskey, in that order, morning, noon and night. The group supported as much as they could but things got dark for Wynonna in that last year until the very last revenant, Bobo, was told to make his peace.

 

Dark enough that Waverly had moved out to live with Nicole in her place. It had been so hard at first, and Waverly had felt so guilty that she enjoyed it being just the two of them. But Wynonna was doing what she needed to do, and so had Waverly. There had been no question Waverly would move back once Alice came home, and since she and Nicole had been engaged when that happened, there was no question they were coming back as a twosome.

 

It had actually been Nicole who first suggested it, much to the two sisters’ surprise. But at that point, she was the only one who really knew Alice at all. And though Wynonna would never overtly state it, she communicated in brief nods and the occasional pat on the back that she really did appreciate how Nicole had brought their family back together.

 

“Here!” Alice replied excitedly at the small stack of gifts sitting on the coffee table.

 

On one side of the table, next to the gifts were two framed photos. The first picture was of Nicole and Waverly in white dresses, staring lovingly into each other’s eyes. Beside it, was another framed photo of them in much the same position but looking at the camera, with the addition of Alice in a mini white dress and basket of flowers in front of them, Wynonna in a sleek, red dress on one side and the three boys in tuxes and dickie bows on the other (Jeremy’s being the only one that differed with a ‘Mario Bros Tie’.) Even Calamity Jane was sporting a new white collar.

 

Everyone was beaming from ear to ear. It had been a great day. Nicole still found herself just looking at those photos in a happy daze.

“Auntie Nicole?” Alice asked, pulling Nicole out of said daze.

 

“Sorry, Alice,” Nicole replied, not before briefly smiling over at Waverly, who she knew had probably caught her too.

 

The returning smile confirmed this.

 

Nicole accepted the first gift, a rectangle box.  She opened it to see a new phone, to replace the one smashed up in the robbery.

 

“Oh, good, now I can check in regularly with the station again.”

 

Waverly clicked her tongue.

 

“I got it so you could regularly check in with your wife while she’s at work and you’re at home recuperating.”

 

“Quit fighting in front of the kid,” Wynonna replied irreverently.

 

Nicole opened the other present and held it up against herself.

 

“A new uniform shirt. Hey, this one says sheriff on the sleeve!”

 

Nicole smiled happily at that, then when she saw what was sitting under the shirt, she looked up at her wife and rolled her eyes.

 

“Waverly.”

 

“Will you just wear them around the house?” Waverly requested with a grin, “For me?”

 

“Can you be gross somewhere else?” Wynonna interjected.

 

Nicole blushed and Waverly rolled her eyes.

 

“Worth a shot,” she added in, “There’s dark slacks underneath.”

 

Nicole discarded the khakis and folded her new shirt and pants together.

 

“Thank you so much, Alice, now I’m all ready to go back protecting the streets of Purgatory.”

 

“Can I be Sheriff when I’m growed up?” Alice asked hopefully.

 

“Please god, no,” Wynonna breathed.

 

“Sure you can!” Nicole spoke over her, happily, “You just have to work really hard and get good grades and have a brave heart.”

 

“Yak,” Wynonna said with a fake gag, and the doorbell ringing allowed her to remove herself from the situation.

 

She opened the door and gave the person on the other side a nod and grin.

 

“Doc.”

 

“Wynonna,” Doc replied in greeting, his mustache twitching a tad.

 

Wynonna stepped aside to let him in and Doc strolled over to Nicole and Alice. He bent on one knee down to her size and removed his hat

 

“Well how is this fine lady doing today?” he asked, his face lighting up, as it always did around his daughter.

 

“‘m good Doccy,” Alice answered cheerfully.

 

Doc smiled in acknowledgment and looked to Nicole.

 

“And you, Sheriff Haught?” he inquired, then quickly corrected himself when he saw Waverly’s face, “I mean Sheriff Haught-Earp.”

 

“I’m feeling fine, Henry,” Nicole replied easily.

 

“And I’m mighty glad to hear it,” Doc said with a respectful nod, which Nicole returned.

 

“Doccy, come play with me and Auntie Nicole!” Alice requested.

 

“I’d be only delighted,” Doc replied, fixing his hat back on his head, “Why don’t we bring out that one game I got for you.

 

Once someone had taught Doc how to use Amazon, he’d made up for lost time in getting her toys. His favorite was a board game called Colt Express that had 19th-century bandits fleeing on a train. It was a little advanced, but she was smart and mostly enjoyed the stories.

 

Nicole, of course, objected, wanting to play Police Precinct and then Waverly got involved, saying Codenames was the best game.

 

This always happened with games, the adults fought over the best one. Picking a TV show was easier as both Doc and Nicole agreed Sheriff Callie's Wild West was the best and roped Waverly in to vote as a team. Waverly liked that the show was set in a place called Nice and Friendly and Wynonna balked at anything as cute as anthropomorphic animals, but as they were all discussing it, Alice had usually commandeered the remote and put whatever she wanted on anyway.

 

Eventually, Wynonna came over and slammed her palms on the table.

 

“Why don’t we let the kid decide?” she suggested with an arched eyebrow, “You know, the actual child in the room?”

 

Alice slid over the game she wanted to play.

 

“Trouble!”

 

Wynonna grinned.

 

“That’s my girl.”

 

The adults exchanged sheepish grins and settled around the table to play the game. Waverly sat beside Nicole so she could hold her hand and helped her press the pop-o-matic dice container so she didn’t have to stretch too much.

 

There was much laughter and rallying cries as the game progressed, and no one really one because Dolls arrived before they were done.

 

“I have burgers, I have fries,” he announced.

 

Alice rushed over.

 

“Dolly!”

 

Wynonna smirked and Dolls chose to ignore it.

 

“Hey, munchkin.”

 

“Can I brush your hair?” Alice requested sweetly.

 

A smile tugged on Dolls lips as he ran a hand over his tightly cut hair.

 

“Maybe after dinner.”

 

“Yay!” Alice exclaimed excitedly.

 

She had all the men, and women, in her life wrapped around her little finger.

 

Nicole came to get a plate, which Dolls handed to her with another of those respectful nods.

 

“Good to see you back on your feet,” he said, brushing his hands off each other, “That place is falling apart in your absence.”

 

“Don’t tell her that, I’m trying to get her to take more time off,” Waverly appeared, swinging out of Dolls side.

 

Dolls smirked.

“Have you not met your wife?”

 

“I’ll be back on Monday,” Nicole said resolutely, “Where’s Jeremy anyway?”

 

Dolls shrugged one shoulder.

 

“Some robotics competition.”

 

“He thinks one of the team’s programmers is really cute,” Waverly interjected with a sweet smile as she poured waters for her and Nicole.

 

Wynonna snickered.

 

“Still trying to bring that sex count up to the full ‘two’, huh?”

 

“I should never have told you that,” Waverly said under her breath.

 

“He told me himself. He says it anytime he’s scared,” Wynonna replied, rolling her eyes, “Last week I banged the door on the specimen fridge too loudly and he blurted it out.”

 

“Can we just eat?” Nicole suggested.

 

“Agreed,” Wynonna added.

 

Dolls handed Nicole a salad across the table, who looked at it like it was demon goo.

 

“What is this?”

 

“I told him to get it for you,” Waverly answered, “You need good nourishment to heal.”

 

“I-I need protein!” Nicole argued.

 

“It has chicken,” Waverly argued back.

 

“Be thankful Nicole,” Dolls remarked pointedly, “The original order was for soy protein and quinoa. I talked her down.”

 

Nicole pouted as she opened her salad. A moment later, she felt a nudge on her thigh. She looked down and Alice was handing her a fry. She grinned from ear to ear and winked at Alice, who giggled and stuffed another fry in her mouth to cover it.

 

After dinner, while Waverly and Doc cleared up, Dolls allowed Alice to put him in a pink wig and style it.

 

“It’s definitely your color, dude,” Wynonna remarked, grinning, “Brings out your eyes.”

 

Dolls just smiled, because how could you not? Alice was put to bed not long after, with an individual story from everyone and an extra double-down from both Nicole and Waverly. Waverly would tell a story and Nicole would act it out. The actions were a bit more reined in this time but Alice didn’t seem to mind.

 

As they left Alice’s room, Nicole caught her wife’s wrist.

 

“Waverly, can we go talk for a bit?”

 

Waverly nodded and slowly walked side by side with Nicole into their room. She had seen her struggle up the stairs and didn’t want Nicole to jerk her body in any way.

 

As the door closed behind them, Waverly crossed her arms softly over her chest.

 

“Is something wrong? Is this about the salad? Because I know you were eating fries when my back was turned anyway.”

 

Nicole stood on the spot for a moment and cocked her head, regarding Waverly. She spent a few long moments focusing on Waverly’s face as a smile blossomed on her lips. With a gentle limp, she closed the space between them and rested their foreheads together. The tip of her nose bumped against the bridge of Waverly’s.

 

“Everything is perfect because my wife is having my baby,” she said softly.

 

Waverly’s wrists crossed behind Nicole’s neck. She laughed, her first real laugh in days.

 

“I was peeing on the stick when they called me, you know.”

 

Nicole tilted Waverly’s chin up and kissed her. It was their first real private moment since the morning of the robbery.

 

“Waves, I’m so sorry.”

 

Waverly looked down, shaking her head.

 

“We’ve just been so safe for so long. I had…forgotten what it feels like,” she admitted, swallowing a lump, “And what were you doing, running into that with no vest or backup?”

 

“Back-up was on the way,” Nicole replied evenly, “My townspeople were in trouble. I had to go in. It’s my job.”

 

She sighed.

 

“But you’re right…I should have double checked that the trunk had equipment before I left. I know better.”

 

Waverly cupped Nicole’s cheeks and pressed their lips together.

 

“Don’t. Do it. Again,” she said, enunciating each word with a kiss.

 

Nicole knew she couldn’t promise she’d never be in a dangerous situation again. She was the Sheriff and planned to be for a long time. She placed her hand on Waverly’s stomach.

 

“I promise that I will do everything I can to come home to you and our little cutie in there.”

 

“You better,” Waverly replied, her fingers running through the ends of her wife’s hair, “Because life without you Nicole…”

 

She felt choked up, so Nicole kissed her forehead.

 

“You have to do something for me too.”

 

Waverly met her wife’s gaze, with a slight crease of confusion. Nicole pecked her lips.

 

“Let me be the one to worry.”

 

She bumped their noses together.

 

“You and…our child,” she stopped, unable to hold back the happy smile, “You’re everything to me. I will protect you and them and keep us all safe. And if you think a measly bullet wound is going to stop me—”

 

“Then I married the wrong woman,” Waverly finished with a wry smile.

 

Nicole’s eyes narrowed, but she was smiling.

 

“Never say those words again, but in this context, yes.”

 

Waverly ducked her head and when she raised it again, Nicole was grinning.

 

“And if you think I’m not going to start the pampering right this second, you’re sadly mistaken.”

 

“Nicole—” Waverly started, but Nicole cut her off.

 

“Trust me.”

 

Waverly sighed; she knew she had no choice.

 

“Please remember that you have stitches.”

 

Nicole put her arms around Waverly; she was tiny enough to embrace without pain.

 

“I’ve got you Waves. Always and at every turn.”

 

Very, very gingerly, Waverly returned the hug and nuzzled into her wife’s neck.

 

“I love you so much, Nicole. You make me happier every day.”

 

Nicole kissed Waverly’s cheek and they stayed gently locked together for a minute or two, appreciating each other’s presence.

 

“Okay, now you have to sit,” Nicole instructed, “And wait. And don’t get impatient because I’m moving on a slower gear these days. I won’t be long.”

 

She kissed Waverly’s temple and slowly made her way back downstairs. She had to admit, the stairs sucked. Shuffling around the house wasn’t anything more than she could bear, but the stairs took it out of her.

 

It was quiet downstairs, and Nicole didn’t think anyone was there at all. It was only when Wynonna’s head appeared upside down from behind an armchair as she was turning the kettle on, did she realize she wasn’t alone.

 

“Waverly is making you make your own tea? Have you pissed her off already?”

 

Nicole startled and groaned at the stab of pain.

 

“No Wynonna. And I’m not an invalid. It’s just a flesh wound.”

 

Wynonna hopped up and came walking into the kitchen. She pushed herself up on her arms and sat on the counter.

 

“Didn’t sound like that when she was up all night crying,” she said quietly, “Or when Alice burst into tears when we told her you couldn’t come home for three days.”

 

Nicole looked guilty, but Wynonna just gave her a nod.

 

“Let’s try not to upset our girls for a little while, huh?”

 

“I’m with you 100%,” Nicole agreed and kept Wynonna’s gaze to show she meant it.

 

Wynonna returned it and then jumped down to grab a beer from the fridge.

 

“No sleepovers tonight?” Nicole asked as she made up a cup of vanilla tea in Waverly’s favorite mug.

 

“Nah,” Wynonna replied, shaking her head, “I need my sleep with all this to-ing and fro-ing Alice around. Honestly, I’ve kinda been taking you for granted, Haught.”

 

Nicole opened her mouth and Wynonna held up a hand defensively.

 

“I know, I know, Haught-Earp.”

 

“No,” Nicole replied with a smile, “I was going to say…you’ve made me feel a lot of things over the years, Earp. Most of them painful and annoying…but taken for granted isn’t one of them. We all do our part and I’m sorry that I’ve added extra duties onto the house.”

 

Wynonna shrugged one shoulder and took a swig of beer.

 

“Eh. You make my kid and my sister happy, so I’ll deal…”

 

Nicole turned and continued making the tea.

 

“Love you too, Wynonna,” she said under her breath.

 

She let the tea brew, with the tea bag left in how Waverly liked.

 

“Goodnight Wynonna,” she said as she walked towards the stairs.

 

“Don’t burst a stitch!” Wynonna called back, and Nicole continued ascending the stairs with a blush.

 

Nicole went into the bathroom and set the tea on the side of the tub, which she began to run with just a little bit of bubble bath. She fished the tealights she’d taken from the kitchen and set them all around, lighting them.

 

When it was ready, she went back to their bedroom, where Waverly was patiently sitting on the bed. Nicole offered her arm.

 

“Madam?”

 

Waverly smiled and stood, linking her elbow through Nicole’s. Nicole brought them into the bathroom and closed the door behind them.

 

“Nicole…” Waverly said, touched as the tub was lit up by the soft lighting.

 

“A nice warm bath,” Nicole said, thrilled to be able to do something nice for her wife, “Which is not too hot because that would be bad for the baby.”

 

Waverly splayed her fingers out behind Nicole’s neck and leaned in to kiss her.

 

“Get in,” Nicole encouraged softly.

 

Waverly lifted her top over her head.

 

“I see your game,” she said, grinning, as her shirt bundled out over her front, “You’re just trying to get me naked.”

 

“Believe me, it’s a torture,” Nicole replied, gulping, “Especially not knowing how many weeks it might be until we can…”

 

Waverly purposefully slowed down her disrobing, dragging it out.

 

“And whose fault is that?”

 

Nicole sank down to sit on the toilet lid, sadly.

 

“Mine.”

 

Waverly pushed her skirt past her hips so she was just standing in her bra and panties. She ran her hands through her own hair, making her arms flex and her stomach muscles jut out.

 

Nicole’s face devolved into upset puppy mode.

 

“Waverly, you weren’t supposed to make it worse.”

 

She looked up at Waverly hopefully.

 

“Let me kiss the baby?”

 

Waverly’s mouth hung open in shock.

 

“Nicole Haught-Earp, did you just use your unborn child to try and get some action?”

 

Nicole’s brow furrowed.

 

“Well I really haven’t gotten to kiss the baby yet.”

 

Waverly relented and took the two steps forward to be level with Nicole’s mouth.

 

Nicole had been turned on by the flash of stomach but now she was nuzzling the spot, she was thinking about the growing life beneath.

 

“Wow,” she whispered.

 

As Nicole kissed her stomach, Waverly kissed the top of her wife’s head, enjoying being the tall one for once.

 

She realized they were in a kissing loop from head to stomach.

 

After a few moments, Nicole looked up and smiled.

 

“Get in before it goes cold. I made you tea.”

 

Waverly glanced at the teacup. She finished undressing and slowly sunk down into the tub, taking the cup in her hands.

 

“Well, this is lovely.”

 

Nicole smiled over.

 

“So I’m not up for the bending necessary to join you, but I’m at just the right angle for a foot rub.”

 

“I don’t know, Nicole…” Waverly replied warily.

 

“All you have to do is rest your foot in my lap. It’s no more strenuous than eating,” Nicole reasoned, “Please? I’ve never begged a woman to let me give them foot rub before, you know…”

 

Waverly rolled her eyes good-naturedly and lifted her foot from the tub. Her short leg just about reached Nicole’s lap.

 

Nicole ran her thumbs along the sole of Waverly’s foot, whose eyes flicked close with a sigh.

 

“That feels good…”

 

Nicole thoroughly rubbed each of Waverly’s feet until there wasn’t an ounce of stress left in her. She was almost asleep in the tub, the empty teacup floating in her hand. When the water became too cool to be comfortable, Waverly stepped out and wrapped herself up in a towel.

 

From behind, Nicole embraced her wife, though without pressing herself into it at all to avoid pressure on her wound.

 

“I love you, Waverly,” she said, kissing the curve of Waverly’s ear.

 

“I love you, Nicole,” Waverly answered, knowing she couldn’t risk leaning back, so just stroked Nicole’s hand instead.

 

They made their way back to the bedroom and Waverly changed into pajamas, then started to help Nicole change into hers.

 

“We need to change that dressing,” she remarked as she helped Nicole pull her sweater off, “How high can you raise your arms today?”

 

Nicole demonstrated, showing almost full motion.

 

“Always an over-achiever,” Waverly commented affectionately.

 

She peeled back the bandaged and grimaced at how sore it looked.

 

“Poor baby.”

 

She cleaned the wound and the small area of stitches.

 

“That’s definitely going to leave a scar.”

 

“Will you mind?” Nicole asked.

 

It put a smile on Waverly’s lips.

 

“Nope. Totally dig ‘em.”

 

She put a fresh bandage on and got rid of the soiled stuff.

 

“No sleeping on your right,” she said as she helped her into a pajama top, “And we have to put a pillow between us so I don’t roll into you.”

 

“Okay,” Nicole agreed reluctantly.

 

They finished getting ready for bed and settled with the unusual obstruction of the pillow between them. Nicole ran her hand along the side of the pillow.

 

“Can you turn around so I can put a hand on your belly?”

 

Waverly smiled softly.

 

“Sure, baby.”

 

She turned so that she’d be the little spoon, but for the pillow. Nicole reached across it and slid her palm against Waverly’s stomach.

 

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Wave.”

 

She closed her eyes and sighed softly.

 

“And the plan is to never find out.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

As Nicole’s foot stepped off the last step of the staircase, she heard the sound of retching coming from the bathroom down the hall.

 

Her eyes cast over to Alice, sitting in the living room, coloring as she waited to go to school.

 

Initially relieved, then disturbed again, Nicole approached.

 

“Baby?” she asked, alarmed as she knocked on the door.

 

“I’m not surprised she’s yakking her guts up,” Wynonna commented from her place at the kitchen table, holding a steaming mug of coffee between two hands, “You know yesterday I saw her add a spoon of peanut butter _and_ a spoon of jelly to her hot and sour soup. What is up with that? Is she having a—”

 

“Baby?” Nicole called again.

 

“—nother crazy diet phase?” Wynonna finished, “Because that cabbage soup diet stunk out the house for days.”

 

“Can it, Wynonna,” Nicole replied tersely, “Baby, I’m coming in.”

 

Nicole let herself in and shuffled over. She was still walking a bit awkwardly from the wound, but if someone didn’t know what happened, they’d only guess she slept funny.

 

Nicole gently stroked her wife’s hair, gathering it away from her face and off her back.

 

“Are you having morning sickness?” she asked tenderly.

 

“This has been happening,” Waverly admitted and tried to smile, “To be expected.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Nicole asked, her tone soft.

 

Waverly’s nose scrunched. She’d wanted Nicole to soothe her but had been holding back.

 

“It’s pretty gross.”

 

“Well you could never be gross,” Nicole amended sweetly, “Heck, this isn’t even the worst thing I’ve seen come out of your mouth.”

 

“Oof,” Waverly replied, dropping her forehead against the toilet rim, “Don’t remind me.”

 

Nicole rubbed Waverly’s back, but she was done. Waverly asked for a moment to brush her teeth, so Nicole went and made her tea in her flask to take to work.

 

Waverly came out looking a bit fresher and sat next to Wynonna.

 

“You don’t have _anything_ that needs translating today?” she asked her sister hopefully.

 

“There’s a stock of packets of Chinatown ramen that Jeremy keeps in the cupboard,” Wynonna offered.

 

Waverly frowned and sat back in the chair. She really wanted to be in that office.

 

She thanked Nicole for the tea but decided to leave the lunch she’d made her wife in the fridge.

 

They usually car-pooled but Nicole wasn’t cleared to drive yet, though she would have if she hadn’t worried about being a danger to other people, so she had to allow Wynonna to drive them in the family Subaru.

 

There was a little too much distraction with the music player and using various parts of the machinery as instruments for Nicole’s liking, but Alice thought it was funny and that redeemed it slightly.

 

Alice was the first to be dropped off and walked into school. Nicole offered to do it so Wynonna wouldn’t be confronted by the cookie police and so she could reassure the teacher and room mom that she and Waverly were back and contactable again. They seemed relieved.

 

Waverly was the next to be dropped off at Shorty’s and Wynonna did Nicole a favor by speeding off before she could start fussing over her.

 

Wynonna and Nicole entered the municipal building together but veered in various directions. Wynonna offered Nicole a finger gun salute of good look, which Nicole acknowledged with a smile before continuing on her way.

 

Applause broke out as she walked into the squad room.

 

“Alright, alright,” Nicole replied bashfully, “Who forgot to restock the auto equipment?”

 

It turned quiet after that and the officers all turned back to their own work. Nicole went through and talked to each of them, getting filled in and reaffirming her place, although she was well respected so it was unnecessary.

 

She sighed softly as she got back into her office and sat in her chair. It meant a lot to be in the Sheriff’s office. Especially to have been hand-picked for it. It was important to her not to look weak to her officers, and that’s why she was back so soon. That and sitting around at home doing nothing was not her jam. She was the Sheriff, it was mostly desk work anyway.

 

She slid open the top drawer where her duty belt was neatly folded. She couldn’t even remember at what point she lost it after being shot. She secured it back over her waist, finding a comfort from the weight, even if she wouldn’t be using anything on it for a while.

 

She cracked her knuckles and started getting on with her paperwork. Turns out, the sheriff getting shot produces quite a bit of it.

 

Over the course of the morning, Dolls came by to ask permission to use an empty storage closet (he never asked, ever), Jeremy swung by twice saying he had to use their coffee maker because the BBD one was broken and Wynonna was on her third casual passing by.

 

“Wynonna!” Nicole expressed in frustration when she saw the familiar dark head float by, “Waverly is having you all check up on me, isn’t she?”

 

“She…may be incessantly texting,” Wynonna admitted, leaning against the doorframe.

 

Nicole dropped her head against the desk.

 

“Close the door please.”

 

Sometimes it was great having your family working so close by and sometimes it sucked.

 

When they’d ended the curse, BBD had magically reappeared and reestablished themselves as a research institute. With enough leverage to avoid blood contracts this time, Jeremy was able to be master of his own lab — where he’d eventually formulated a cure for Dolls to reassert his fully human self — and Wynonna and Dolls continued detective work, but without the active or life-threatening demonic chase.

 

Demonic specimens were sent to them to do testing on and supernatural phenomenon to be researched. Waverly was on hand to do translations, but since there wasn’t enough to have her in a full-time role, she’d also taken over as a manager of Shorty’s for Doc, so she could look after the day-to-day running while he could enjoy the more fun aspects of bar ownership. He also dipped into BBD cases when Dolls deemed his knowledge worthy, to keep himself in the loop.

 

As the door to her office closed, Nicole lifted her head and picked her phone up from the side of the desk.

 

She made the call and Waverly’s adorably concerned face filled the screen moments later.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Nicole couldn’t help but smile, try as she might to stop it.

 

“My wife is stressing out and it’s stressing me out.”

 

Waverly pouted and Nicole laughed.

 

“Baby,” she said, sweet and reassuring, “I am fine. I’m not even making unnecessary trips to the bathroom.”

 

Waverly visibly exhaled a breath, her nostrils flaring. Nicole giggled, finding it cute. She didn’t even mind the dull ache in her side she felt from it; it was worth it.

 

“How are you doing?”

 

“Surprisingly, the smell of stale beer _doesn’t_ make me gag,” Waverly replied easily.

 

“Glad to hear it,” Nicole said, relieved too. She didn't want her wife sick either.

 

“Let me bring you some lunch?” Waverly asked with a hopeful look.

 

Nicole smiled. She knew that was coming when Waverly didn’t make her a packed lunch that morning.

 

“Okay. Bye Waverly. I love you.”

 

Waverly blew a kiss.

 

“I love you too.”

 

The call disconnected and Nicole sat back, looking forward to the clock turning 12.

 

She’d take the fussing now because soon she’d have nothing but an ugly reminder on her side and it would be her turn to take care of her wife and the growing bump.

 

She couldn't wait for every moment of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's short, next one will be longer!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut warning for this chapter!

Waverly came storming into the homestead, where Nicole was alone, standing in the middle of the room on her phone.

 

“I got your text.”

 

Nicole looked up with a smile for her wife but was confused as to why she was frantic.

 

“Oh, baby,” she said, holding up her phone, “I said everything was okay, did it autocorrect?”

 

“No, it said that,” Waverly confirmed with a brisk nod of her head.

 

Nicole’s brow creased. Waverly wasn’t supposed to finish up at Shorty’s for another few hours. In fact, it was right in the middle of Happy Hour when they were usually busiest and Waverly came out of the office to help at the bar.

 

“Then why did you come rushing home?”

 

“It said the doctor cleared you to resume all normal activities right?” Waverly asked breathlessly.

 

Nicole nodded slowly.

  
“Yeah.”

 

Waverly began to close the gap between them.

 

“Good.”

 

She crashed into Nicole, sending her flying over the arm of the couch and onto her back.

 

Nicole didn’t have time to be winded as Waverly sucked in what little air was in her lungs by kissing her quite desperately. Nicole’s hands automatically went to hold Waverly’s face, while Waverly’s fingers trailed down to unzip the top of Nicole’s uniform shirt.

 

Waverly’s front-tied shirt came undone, revealing more of her still-flat stomach — though it would be very soon that she’d have to switch to full-length tops permanently.

 

Both of the blood was rushing loudly through their ears, which is why the back door opening and remained completely unregistered.

 

“Oh, gross.”

 

Wynonna’s voice reverberated around the old wooden house, and when a disheveled Nicole and Waverly looked up she was standing at the foot of the couch with a perturbed look on her face.

 

Waverly covered her front with a cushion and glared at Wynonna. For the next several seconds they communicated silently though different facial movements and flicks of their heads.

 

Finally, Wynonna got it and started walking towards the front door.

 

“Guess I’m sleeping at Doll’s!”

 

The door slammed and Nicole jolted. Waverly looked at the closed door and briefly ran her hand through her hair. She then glanced down at her wife and found a better spot of her fingers; brushing them against Nicole’s exposed collarbone.

 

“Do you know how difficult it has been to be full of hormones and have your sexy wife needing help to undress and shower but not being able to touch her in case you break her body?!”

 

Nicole opened her mouth and Waverly put a finger on it.

 

“Those lips have one job right now,” she said, the tip gently pushing against Nicole’s teeth, “And it isn’t talking.”

 

Nicole licked the pad of Waverly’s finger, who grinned.

 

“That’s more like it.”

 

Nicole gently nibbled on Waverly’s skin and watched her chest flush.

 

Waverly’s eyes darkened with desire and she pulled Nicole up by the zip of her work shirt. With Nicole’s hips pressing into Waverly’s butt, they ascended the stairs and spun into their bedroom together, hungrily kissing each other.

 

The back of Waverly’s knees hit the bed and she fell back gracefully, kicking her shoes off on the way.

 

Nicole was used to jumping Waverly at this point, but watching her wife fall back onto the bed had made her heart jump into her throat.

 

“Whoa.”

 

Waverly sat up, concerned.

 

“Does it still hurt?”

 

Nicole shook her head.

 

“No, but—”

 

Waverly took her wife’s hands in front of her.

 

“What’s wrong, Nicole?” she asked softly.

 

Nicole gulped.

 

“The, the baby.”

 

Waverly looked down at her stomach and put a hand on it.

 

“It can’t feel you,” she said reassuringly as she looked back up.

 

“But, but you can,” Nicole stumbled over her words, suddenly rooted in fear.

 

“Yeah, kinda hoping to feel a little more of you,” Waverly replied, rubbing her thighs together to dull the ache beginning to throb.

 

Nicole turned her hands over in front of her. Nothing ever turned her into a useless mess more than Waverly (Haught-) Earp and now, the growing life in her womb too.

 

“I just don’t want to hurt either of you.”

 

Waverly finally understood and just smiled. She leaned back on her elbows, showing off her taut, but ever so slightly softening stomach.

 

“Well, as you know, karate chopping me in the stomach is my number one kink,” she said, patting her abs and throwing a wink in Nicole’s direction, “But I’ll forgo it for the next 34 weeks.”

 

She saw Nicole smile and hooked her finger to beckon her wife closer.

 

Nicole obliged and climbed over Waverly, though on all fours with zero weight pressing on her. Waverly tilted Nicole’s chin down with her finger and kissed her, slowly.

 

They hadn’t been able to enjoy more than brief or chaste kisses until Nicole healed. If Waverly thought the bruise left from Willa’s stopped bullet was limiting, it was nothing compared to the real thing.

 

Waverly enjoyed tasting her wife’s lips and couldn’t help slipping her tongue in for a moment. Nicole’s hips physically thrust downwards and their clothed thighs briefly grazed.

 

Waverly’s hand settled under Nicole jaw, her fingers playing with the ends curls there. She brought their faces close together.

 

“We won’t hurt our baby,” she promised in a whisper.

 

She kissed Nicole again, who responded eagerly and did the tongue slipping this time.

 

Waverly scooted up the bed and brought Nicole with her. Her head hit the pillow and her legs automatically spread open as Nicole’s thigh pressed in between.

 

“Mmm,” Waverly moaned, a gasp escaping at the same time.

 

“Waverly,” Nicole breathed, trailing her lips down into her wife’s neck, “Baby, I missed you.”

 

Nicole’s lips felt like they were branding Waverly with how hotly they burned into her skin. Her hand slid down the back of Nicole’s head, gripping the red curls tightly and pushing her further in. Her fingers toyed with the soft ends and brushed against the soft skin on the back of Nicole’s neck.

 

She turned her head inwards until her nose bumped against Nicole’s. She opened her lips against Nicole’s lips but held off kissing her for a moment; instead taking a breath from her wife’s mouth.

 

Nicole felt a shiver go through her back as Waverly teased her lips and inhaled sharply to get in the air she needed to close the kiss. Her body pressed in, still without putting any weight on Waverly, but allowing their bodies to touch.

 

Almost immediately they were both hyper-aware of how uncomfortable and constraining their clothing felt. Waverly shrugged the already loosened material of her shirt off her shoulders and sat up to let it fall off. She held her hand loosely on Nicole’s cheek as she deepened the kiss, pausing to lift her wife’s police shirt over her head only when she knew she had enough of Nicole’s taste to linger for a little while.

 

She leaned in and pressed a kiss between Nicole’s bra-clad breasts and brushed her hand against the stomach muscles and felt the uneven skin where her wife housed her freshest scar.

 

The skin had closed but was still healing.

 

Waverly looked at the jagged flesh and though she hated to see her wife marred in such a way, Nicole’s bravery made her love her even more. And that bravery was sexy as hell.

 

“Are you sure it doesn’t hurt?” she asked, lifting her gaze to meet Nicole’s.

 

Nicole smiled softly.

 

“If I say no will you kiss it better?”

 

Waverly grinned back. She kept Nicole in her lap and kissed a line between her wife’s breasts and to the area of scarring. Her hand went to Nicole’s hip and slipped under the waistband of her pants, knotting her panties around her finger.

 

The action made Nicole’s underwear pull at the front and swipe past her clit. She gasped at the unexpected jolt and thrust forward.

 

Nicole’s body arching into her suddenly reignited those surging hormones inside Waverly and she ripped Nicole’s pants off so quickly, the button went flying into a corner of the room. Later Nicole would be on her hands and knees trying to find it so Waverly could mend them. Presently she was quite a different position.

 

Waverly threw Nicole on her back and lavished her stomach with kisses. She kissed the exposed areas of Nicole’s breasts and watched as her nipples protruded through the fabric. When she saw the bumpy areola rise, she took one between her teeth and bit down.

 

“Oh god, Waverly,” Nicole groaned, wishing more than anything else at that moment that there was no fabric between them.

 

She reached underneath herself to unsnap her bra and flung it off one arm. Waverly stayed where she was but just breathed hot air onto Nicole’s nipple.

 

It was frustrating beyond belief and making Nicole _so_ wet.

 

“Waverly.”

 

Waverly felt an enormous clenching low in her stomach. Her panties were soaked through and her leggings would be soon too. Nothing could evoke such a response in her like the way Nicole said her name with such erotic reverence.

 

She brushed her tongue over Nicole’s nipple and as it curled back into her mouth, closed her lips around the stiff peak. A hunger rumbled in her belly and she was quick to offer the same to unattended side.

 

Nicole sent many moans towards the ceiling until her hips were squirming so much they were barely touching the bed at all. She reached down and grabbed a handful of Waverly’s short skirt, using the leverage to roll her wife over.

 

She swung her leg over Waverly’s waist and pulled down the tiny zipped on the side of the skirt. She pulled the material down Waverly’s shapely, twisting legs, leaving just her leggings hugging her hips.

 

Nicole ran a finger down the front of the leggings, tracing Waverly’s lips beneath. It took just a light press to feel her wetness seep through.

 

Waverly’s hips lifted, wanting more, but Nicole withdrew her finger.

 

Waverly blew out a breath of frustration, but Nicole was never one to let her down. It was just moments before her bra was being pulled off and Nicole’s bare front was sliding up against her bare front and they were rubbing so delightfully and kissing even more so.

 

Though Waverly had as much free movement in her leggings as if they were bare, she most definitely did not have the luxurious slide of Nicole’s smooth legs against hers. She reached down and pushed the waistband over her hips, moaning gratefully into Nicole’s mouth when she helped her get them off.

 

Nicole palmed Waverly’s thigh, shuddering in anticipation when she felt the taut muscles there tense. She broke the kiss to whisper in Waverly’s ear.

 

“I want these around my ears.”

 

Her palms brushed Waverly’s thighs up and down and then grabbed them, her nails lightly indenting the skin. She yanked Waverly down an inch or two and Waverly’s eyes rolled back into her head with the anticipation of pleasure.

 

Nicole ducked her head and kissed right below her belly button, above where her womb lay beneath. It had become a reflex to seek out that spot and it made their connection even more palpable.

 

Her lips continued downwards and her nose pushed Waverly’s panties down along the way. Eventually, she snatched them the rest of the way off and lay down to kiss Waverly’s inner thighs. She splayed her fingers out on Waverly’s right thigh, the skin glistening with spilled arousal in the gaps between each one.

 

Keeping Waverly open, Nicole nibbled on the other side, eliciting regular, rhythmic jerks and needy moans.

 

“Nicole, please,” Waverly pleaded breathlessly, “I am so wet right now.”

 

“I can see that,” Nicole teased, tracing a finger over the swollen outer lip.

 

Waverly’s hips jerked again. Right in the middle of it, Nicole acted quick and extended her tongue through Waverly’s fold, causing her thighs to thrash and clamp around Nicole’s ears, just as she wanted.

 

Nicole ran her tongue over Waverly’s clit in fleeting movements, never quite giving it any relief from its desperate throb. She tongued Waverly’s opening and took the sticky gush that followed, feeling it wet her lips and settle like a glaze. Her hand crept up and her index finger drew teasing circles around Waverly’s clit.

 

Well, Nicole called them teasing; Waverly called them torture. She tried to shift her hips to get a firmer touch but Nicole anticipated her every move. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she sat up and pulled Nicole’s messy mouth to hers.

 

She swallowed Nicole’s moan, and the taste on her lips, and thrust her hand into the front of Nicole’s underwear. She’d intended to give her a taste of her own medicine but Nicole was just so wet and ready for her, she dipped right in.

 

Nicole’s mind swirled with the sudden movement. She wrapped her arm around Waverly’s waist and brought them both down gently so they were on their sides. She pulled them as close together as possible; chests and thighs rubbing.

 

Waverly pulled Nicole’s panties from her body and sunk back into her; groaning into Nicole’s mouth as the tightness held her again.

 

Nicole pressed her fingers between Waverly’s legs, finally putting pressure on her clit. Waverly bit Nicole’s lower lips and tilted her head back as her neck muscles strained. She released Nicole’s lip, which bounced back into place.

 

“Oh god, baby.”

 

Nicole answered by licking the length of Waverly’s throat and kissing the hollow. She felt a hand cup her butt and pull them even closer again, then the same hand was sliding over her should to her breast.

 

“Waves,” she breathed, her darkened eyes seeking her wife’s.

 

Waverly looked up. She moved their foreheads together and brushed some hair from her wife’s face.

 

“Fuck me, Nicole,” she said in a lust-filled voice, as she filled Nicole right to the knuckle, “While I fuck you.”

 

Nicole made a sound that neared a growl took Waverly’s lips in a fresh, needy kiss. Her fingers filled Waverly the same way she was being filled and stretched out in her heat.

 

Their bodies thrust and slid and just generally tried to get as close to each other as possible. The room was mostly filled with moans, groans and the occasional giggle until Waverly started to come and her sounds became repeated gasps of Nicole’s name.

 

Her inactive hand held the back of Nicole’s head and her fingers tightened in her wife’s hair as the orgasm washed over her. Her body warmed in every corner as wave after wave of pleasure spun through her.

 

When she returned to the room, Nicole was enjoying watching her and pressing kisses into her neck. 

 

Nicole was always extremely patient, but Waverly was ready to be the one doing the watching. She wasted no time in rolling her wife onto her back with her on top.

 

“Oh!” Nicole said, smiling in surprise.

 

Waverly splayed her fingers out over Nicole’s thigh and brought her wife’s leg over her hip. Nicole’s face flushed from being opened like that and nostrils flared as Waverly’s hand got back to work.

 

Nicole’s hands pulled at Waverly’s butt, guiding the speed and pressure of how she wanted the wrist strokes. It really only took a couple of minutes of a constant pressure and she was coming with her 

neck and back arching right off the bed.

 

Panting and with a light sheen on her face and body, she smiled at Waverly, who had rolled off but stayed close.

 

“Waves, wow! I like what those hormones are doing to you.”

 

“The six weeks of pining helped,” Waverly replied, smirking.

 

Nicole scooted down and gathered her wife in her arms.

 

“You think you’ve had it tough? I have the sexiest wife in the world. Have you ever tried resisting you? It ain’t easy.”

 

She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Waverly’s lips.

 

“Worth the wait?”

 

“You were alright,” Waverly replied, blasé.

 

Nicole’s mouth hung open in shock.

 

“ _Alright?!_ ” she exclaimed, then got a mischievous grin and sat up, “I’ll show you _alright_.”

 

Careful to keep away from her stomach, just in case, Nicole started to tickle Waverly’s sides. Waverly squealed and tried to roll away, but Nicole kept her pinned.

 

“Say Uncle!”

 

“Never!” Waverly retorted, squirming as uncontrolled laughter escaped her mouth, “Wynonna did this for years! I have a very high tickle tolerance!”

 

Nicole stopped, but her grin only spread.

 

“I bet Wynonna didn’t know about your secret spot.”

 

Waverly’s eyes widened.

 

“You wouldn’t,” she said, stunned, “I told you that in marital confidence!”

 

Nicole grabbed Waverly’s foot and prepared to tickle the back of her wife’s heel, an unusually sensitive spot that had been the reason for quite a few giggles during foot rubs.

 

Waverly gasped.

 

“Nicole!”

 

She shut her eyes tight, anticipating the uncomfortable onslaught she was about to be subjected to, but instead, Nicole dropped her foot and climbed back over her. When Waverly cracked an eye open, Nicole stole a kiss.

 

“I can’t knowingly be crueler than Wynonna.”

 

Waverly’s face broke out into a tender smile.

 

“And that is why I married you.”

 

“I thought it was my cute butt?” Nicole asked.

 

“That too,” Waverly confirmed and gave Nicole a sly wink.

 

Nicole stayed where she was and traced patterns on Waverly’s collarbone.

 

It was extremely nice to just be lying together as wife and wife again. Living with Wynonna and Alice, with Doc and Dolls also here on a semi-permanent basis, meant they valued their alone time greatly, as much as they loved them all. Considering what was coming in a little over seven months, they valued this time all the more.

 

“What did you tell Wynonna in that secret sister face twitch language you have anyway?”

 

“That she should give us some space unless she wants a repeat of the birthday 2019 incident,” Waverly said pointedly.

 

Nicole’s face scrunched.

 

“Nobody wants to see their baby sister covered only in whipped cream.”

 

“And a cherry,” Waverly replied, grinning.

 

Nicole suddenly remembered that surprise and eating Waverly’s cherry. She felt a new tingle between her legs and brought her face close enough to Waverly’s to kiss again.

 

“Well let's take advantage of there being no one around for miles tonight.”

 

Waverly sighed softly as Nicole’s tongue followed the curve of her ear.

 

“Sometimes being where no one can hear you scream is a _very_ good thing…”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another smut warning for this one.
> 
> It's not my fault, Waverly is thirsty AF.

Nicole woke up with the luxurious knowledge that it was Sunday, and more importantly, a Sunday both she and Waverly had off.

 

She didn’t even open her eyes, just reached blindly to where Waverly should have been.

 

Her fingers just brushed sheet and she frowned. Her eyes blinked open and focused on the hazy figure beside her.

 

Waverly was sitting with a pillow against her back and her knees up to her chest, a book resting on them. Her hair was up in a messy bun and her brow was furrowed adorably as her eyes followed the words. Nicole felt herself fall in love all over again.

 

“Good morning Wave,” she greeted with sleepy adoration.

 

Waverly looked over and her features softened. She brought her ribbon bookmark around from the back of her book and closed it over.

 

“Hey, you.”

 

She scooted down under their four blankets and kissed her bonus one. Nicole returned it softly and began rubbing their feet together under the covers.

 

“What are you reading?” she asked curiously.

 

Waverly picked up her book and showed Nicole the cover. It was a pregnancy book, one of the many Waverly had purchased before they’d even had their first doctor’s appointment. It wasn’t a surprise to Nicole that her wife was doubling down on the research.

 

“Learn anything good?”

 

Waverly opened her book to the start of the chapter for her week of pregnancy.

 

“Your baby is now officially a fetus and about the size of a peanut.”

 

Nicole smiled and waved a fist in victory.

 

“Good job, baby!”

 

Waverly’s nose crinkled as she smiled.

 

“Me or the actual baby?”

 

Nicole sat herself up a bit.

 

“Hmm, this could start to get confusing.”

 

She leaned and pressed a quick kiss to Waverly’s cheek, then repeated the motion on her lips.

 

“Good morning,” she whispered.

 

“Good morning, love,” Waverly said back softly, closing her eyes.

 

Nicole briefly held her hand to Waverly’s face.

 

“Baby,” she identified with a nuzzle, then swooped down and lifted Waverly’s cami to kiss her belly, where there was the definitely start of a pouch, “Peanut.”

 

Waverly giggled at the flurry of pressed lips against her skin.

 

“Hey, Peanut is a pretty good code name,” she said as she began to run her fingers through Nicole’s hair, “Not so much a real name. Although Peanut Haught-Earp has a certain ring to it.”

 

Nicole kept her head in Waverly’s lap and traced her bump.

 

“I bet a celebrity will call their kid that for real one day and then our kid will be really trendy.”

 

Waverly pretended to consider it.

 

“There is one problem.”

 

“Just one?” Nicole grinned.

 

Waverly’s returning smile was somewhat serious.

 

“It doesn’t start with ‘W’.”

 

Nicole slowly sat back up beside her wife.

 

“Oh,” she said, resting her head back against the wall, “I guess I thought after Alice you guys weren’t doing that anymore.”

 

Waverly brought her knees up again.

 

“Well, Wynonna _couldn’t_. It would have been too risky. And…”

 

She sighed. It was something she’d considered since long before they decided to have a baby; since the moment she passed Alice off as a tiny blue bundle.

 

“Alice couldn't be an Earp because of all of the negatives of that name...And after everything that happened and everything we discovered, I could have chosen to leave the name behind too. But I chose to be an Earp. And then you chose to be an Earp with me. And I would like our little Earp to start out with the positive things. I want to use an old tradition to start a new tradition of our name not being a curse.”

 

She blinked, unable to hide the emotion that flowed, but glad to at least have the excuse of hormones.

 

She shook her head to shock the tears into stopping and took Nicole’s hand between both of hers, briefly bringing her wife’s knuckles to her mouth to kiss them.

 

“But the baby is yours too, and I really want to make sure you know that.”

 

“I do,” Nicole reassured.

 

Waverly paused cautiously.

 

“I know you were disappointed that we couldn’t afford the IVF with your egg.”

 

“Waverly, I am so happy that our baby will get the best of you,” Nicole replied genuinely.

 

“What if it gets the worst of me?” Waverly asked nervously.

 

“Then I still know they’ll be easy to love,” Nicole said sweetly, “This is my child and has been my child since the moment we decided to do this. No matter how they came to us, no part of me would feel different.”

 

Waverly knew that and smiled as she made a swipe at her eye.

 

“So the baby is both of ours and we both have to be happy with the name.”

 

Nicole wrapped an arm around her wife’s shoulder, bringing her in for a comforting squeeze.

 

“As long as it’s not Welcome. Wynonna told me about that. I’m putting my foot down against ‘Welcome’.”

 

Waverly laughed, both at the thought and relief that Nicole was on board.

 

“We’re pretty smart. I think we can come up with something better.”

 

She turned her head in and kissed the spot on Nicole’s neck under her ear. She watched the shiver go through her wife’s body and blew hot air on the wet spot she’d made, to elongate it.

 

“I can definitely come up with something better to do right now.”

 

She tugged Nicole’s earlobe between her teeth and had Nicole pulling at her waist in seconds.

 

Waverly’s leg slid over Nicole’s thigh so she was straddling her. She pushed her fingers under her wife’s shirt and raked her nails on the toned muscles there.

 

“Mmm, baby,” Nicole moaned breathlessly.

 

She pulled in at the tucked in parts of Waverly’s cami and dipped her hand in front of Waverly’s pajama pants for a moment. She cupped her smooth, pantiless center and slowly withdrew her fingers, the waistband snapping back into place. She brought her index and middle finger to her mouth and licked the glossy tips.

 

She saw Waverly’s eyes darken and it made her smirk. She pulled the hem of Waverly’s cami forward until they were face to face.

 

Waverly’s gaze flittered between Nicole’s eyes and lips, finding them both as alluring as each other. She registered her camisole being removed, only because it censored her delicious line of vision for two frustrating seconds.

 

Outside the door, there were a few seconds of quick feet on stairs until their bedroom door burst open.

 

“Help, Alice’s sock is stuck in her—” Wynonna started, shielding her eyes upon seeing them, “Shit!

 

She spun around, arm still pushed over her face.

 

“Get a room!”

 

Waverly seethed from atop Nicole, holding her arms crossed and a hand over each of her exposed breasts.

 

“We HAVE one. We’re IN it!”

 

“You didn’t lock!” Wynonna protested.

 

“You didn’t knock!” Waverly retorted.

 

Nicole’s head popped up, concerned.

 

“Did you say Alice is stuck in her sock?”

 

Wynonna put a shaky thumbs-up through the door.

 

“I got it! I can handle it! I just have to find the scissors!” she stated with fake confidence, then put her head back in and cracked her fingers open to look through, “Hey Waverly…”

 

Both Nicole and Waverly held their breath as they realized at the same time that Waverly’s stomach was exposed and she couldn’t hide it without being obvious. It wasn’t a big bump by any means but her abs were normally entirely flat.

 

Wynonna looked like she might smirk but wasn’t risking it.

 

“Maybe lay off the Häagen-Dazs—”

 

Waverly turned into a fresh ball of rage and grabbed the nearest thing to her, her pregnancy book, which she lunged at Wynonna. It hit the door with a thunk, just in time for Wynonna to close it and protect herself from it and the secret that would have been revealed.

 

Nicole looked up at Waverly, who looked like she might burst into tears, in shock.

 

Waverly made a jabbing motion at the door with her arms, but her voice came out choked up.

 

“Go!”

 

Nicole held her hands up, unsure what to do, but finally jumped up and ran out the door, almost tripping over herself along the way.

 

“Wynonna put down the scissors!”

 

Waverly grabbed her cami and put it back over her. She curled up and wipes her eyes on the pillows.

 

“Stupid hormones.”

 

It was only a minute or two until Nicole returned, relieved and hair still adorably mussed.

 

“It was just some misplaced silly putty. Extraction was completed without incident.”

 

Waverly just sniffled in response. Nicole crept back into bed and cuddled Waverly in. She kissed Waverly’s forehead and began tracing all the soft curves of her face.

 

Waverly felt the soft yet penetrating gaze on her and the delicate touch of Nicole’s fingers making her feel so intimately known and still loved.

 

She sniffed again but had to fake her annoyance this time as the real stuff had been melted away under Nicole’s hand.

 

“I was sitting here feeling lousy about Wynonna’s dumb crack and then you came and mellowed my harsh without saying a word.”

 

Nicole kissed Waverly’s lips, deeply and reverently.

 

“You are beautiful, Waverly Haught-Earp,” she breathed emphatically, “There’s no way you couldn’t be.”

 

Waverly slowly smiled and brought her hand to the back of Nicole’s neck.

 

“I love you,” she said as she played with the ends of Nicole’s hair, “You and W. Peanut Haught-Earp. Okay, no, we definitely need to come up with a better middle name too.”

 

Nicole laughed and watched as Waverly released the tension in her shoulders.

 

“Do you want to get out of the house for a bit?” she suggested, “Get out in the air? Enjoy our free day together?”

 

“Yes, yes, yes and yes,” Waverly replied surely.

 

Nicole’s brow creased.

 

“That was one too many yesses.”

 

“I answered the unasked question,” Waverly replied.

 

“Which is…?” Nicole questioned.

 

Waverly’s features brightened into a devilish grin.

 

“Do you need company in the shower?”

 

Nicole’s face lit up and she offered her hand for Waverly to take. It was, without hesitation.

 

They skidded across the hallway together and Waverly turned on the shower to let it steam up while they had fun undressing each other. Nicole was careful to help Waverly step into the shower and had them both stand directly under the spray. She kissed Waverly’s wet lips and pressed their bodies close enough together to stop the cascading rivulets of water from using them as a pathway.

 

Nicole could really feel Waverly’s little bump indent itself in her skin and it made her gasp.

 

She looked down at their flush bodies.

 

“Wow.”

 

She glanced back up at Waverly’s face and lost herself in another kiss for a moment.

 

“And wow…I’m having one of my ‘Waverly is too amazing to function’ moments.”

 

Waverly crossed her wrists behind Nicole’s neck.

 

“You make me feel like you have those moments every moment. When I look at you and you’re looking back at me and I know I’m reaching deep into your soul. I could just stare at you forever.”

 

“Or until Wynonna interrupts us,” Nicole added in.

 

“What have I told you about saying my sister’s name when I’m naked?” Waverly murmured as she began kissing Nicole again.

 

“Told you…” Nicole murmured back, “Can’t function.”

 

They kissed for as long as they knew the plumbing in the old house would give them before assaulting them with cold water. Nicole washed Waverly’s hair first so she wouldn’t have to endure any of it, which Waverly found wonderfully chivalrous.

 

Nicole was glad she had short hair as she suffered through the cold water rinsing the suds from it. She wrapped a towel around herself and made her way back to the bedroom, where she not-so-sneakily checked out Waverly getting changed. She knew Waverly knew she was looking because there was an extra sway in her hips as she did so.

 

Nicole still finished dressing first because Waverly took so long with her hair. She said she’d go and make them breakfast. On her way out she gave Waverly a sly slap on the butt. Waverly jumped and returned a sidelong glance that promised she’d get her back later.

 

Nicole threw a wink back and made her way downstairs. She turned her head into the living room to say good morning to Alice, who jumped away from her cartoons to hug Nicole and tell her all about her dreams. Last night’s ones had featured a river of chocolate and using a giant lollipop to row her and Calamity Jane to safety.

 

Nicole commended her for her bravery and took her empty cereal bowl into the kitchen. Wynonna was in there drinking coffee and playing on her phone.

 

“Thanks for the save earlier,” she said without looking up, “And sorry for not knocking. At least I only saw boobs this time.”

 

Nicole rolled her eyes and put the bowl in the dishwasher. She went to the fridge to get things to prepare breakfast for her and Waverly, adding extra of everything, because Wynonna would inevitably want some too.

 

“Waverly was hurt by what you said,” she said eventually, after weighing up whether it was her place and if she was opening a can of worms, “About the ice-cream.”

 

“I was joking,” Wynonna replied in an exaggerated tone, “Not a single donut ever goes to her hips and now I can’t joke? It’s just fluid retention or whatever.”

 

Nicole just gave her a look and Wynonna sighed.

 

When Waverly came downstairs and into the kitchen after saying hello to Alice, Wynonna stood up.

 

“Waves,” she said, catching her sister’s wrist, “I’m…I’m sorry I got the insensitive ass Earp gene.”

 

Waverly met her gaze and Wynonna offered a soft smile over her shoulder towards the living room.

 

“Be glad I didn’t pass it on?”

 

Waverly looked over at Alice, who was treating both her Barbie and her Ken nicely as she played, in contrast to a young Wynonna who would tear their heads off.

 

Waverly smiled and offered the same smile back to Wynonna in forgiveness.

 

“We’re going out for the afternoon. Are you good with Alice?”

 

“Me and the kid are just fine. She wants to go to the movies,” Wynonna said, “And then Doc is collecting her anyway. Mama’s got a night off!”

 

Nicole put a plate with scrambled eggs on top of mashed avocado on toast on the table.

 

“Eat, baby.”

 

Waverly sat down.

 

“Is this—”

 

“Whole wheat bread,” Nicole pre-empted with a smile, “Yes, love. With egg white scramble, and mashed avocado with just pepper, no salt.”

 

“Wow and it almost looked good,” Wynonna replied with a frown.

 

Nicole slid a plate with white toast, butter visibly melting and fried eggs with a blob of ketchup on each in front of Wynonna.

 

Wynonna grabbed a fork and grinned.

 

“Hey, keep getting her laid, she’s good to keep around.”

 

She marched out before she could see the eye rolls and went to share her breakfast with Alice.

 

Nicole fixed her own plate, the same as her wife’s (but with _a little_ salt on the avocado, don’t tell Waverly!) and sat with her.

 

“Don’t worry about her, she doesn’t understand the concept of a good mood without sex,” Waverly commented as she cut a piece of her breakfast, “This is really good Nicole, thank you.”

 

“Thanks,” Nicole replied with a soft smile, “So I thought we could do the mountain walk, but the slow trail. I don’t want you to exert yourself.”

 

Waverly found Nicole’s foot under the table and ran her toes up her wife’s shin. The material of her sock was light enough that it was basically no barrier and she could feel the muscles there.

 

“I plan on enjoying these legs while I’m still not waddling.”

 

Nicole blushed and glanced down, but couldn’t help looking up again at Waverly. If they were in a cartoon, her eyes would have beat out of her head shaped like hearts. Wynonna broke their reverie after a minute or two as she came in and marched to the fridge.

 

“A girl can’t even get some juice around here without being subjected to googly eyes at every corner.”

 

Waverly rolled her eyes again. They definitely needed a couple-y day.

 

“Are you ready, Nicole?”

 

Nicole nodded quickly.

 

“Yes, baby. Let me.”

 

Nicole took Waverly’s plate to the sink along with her own.

 

“Man you must have given it to her good,” Wynonna commented wryly.

 

“I just respect my wife, Wynonna,” Nicole replied easily, “Waves, would you get our jackets?”

 

Waverly nodded and went off to get her shoes on and find their jackets. Nicole continued moving about the kitchen.

 

“Can you give her a break?” she asked without looking up.

 

Wynonna made a derisive snorting sound.

 

“Waverly is more than capable of telling me to shut up, believe me.”

 

Nicole pursed her lips and forced herself to stay calm.

 

“I know that, but she’s sensitive right now.”

 

“What, is she PMSing?” Wynonna asked.

 

“Something like that,” Nicole said shortly.

 

Wynonna just nodded.

 

“You are the Waverly whisperer.”

 

Nicole took that for the sign of respect it was.

 

“Thank you, Wynonna.”

 

Wynonna offered a fist bump, which Nicole returned with a hidden smile.

 

Nicole finished up what she was doing and walked out to the car and returned in time for Waverly to be ready.

 

“Thanks, baby,” Nicole said as she took her jacket.

 

Waverly lifted her hand in a wave.

 

“We’ll see you guys later.”

 

“Bye Wynonna,” Nicole said, then called louder, “Bye Alice!”

 

Alice came screeching out and threw herself at their legs to say goodbye.

 

“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Waverly promised.

 

“I’ll collect you from school,” Nicole added.

 

Alice let go and smiled up at them. Waverly waved again, then took Nicole’s hand and walked out to the cruiser with her.

 

“Trying not to jinx…but feeling okay this morning?” Nicole asked cautiously as she pulled out of the driveway.

 

“Feeling great,” Waverly replied cheerily, “But I have peed at least seven times this morning.”

 

“Well you can use me as a shield if you need to go on our walk,” Nicole offered kindly.

 

Waverly reached over and played with the ends of Nicole’s hair.

 

“Marriage is blocking your wife while she pees behind a boulder.”

 

“Marriage is being who your wife needs you to be,” Nicole answered, “When she needs you to be it.”

 

Waverly briefly brushed her fingers against the nape of Nicole’s neck.

 

“God, you make me so wet when you’re not even trying.”

 

Nicole almost swerved in surprise.

 

“Waverly.”

 

Waverly trailed her finger down Nicole’s shoulder, arm and eventually to her thigh.

 

“If it was physically possible to lean over and eat you out right now, I would.”

 

“Well, since I enjoy not crashing, let’s be thankful you can’t,” Nicole replied through a steadying breath.

 

She glanced over and saw Waverly’s mind calculating the angles and if it was indeed possible.

 

“Waverly, no, seriously. I’ll lose my mind, and control of the car.

 

Waverly danced her fingertips up to the belt of Nicole’s pants. She easily slid the leather through the metal

 

“Waverly,” Nicole warned again but made no move to stop her.

 

Waverly tried to lean over but was promptly stabbed in the stomach with the gearshift.

 

“Ow!”

 

“Baby, watch your belly,” Nicole said tenderly.

 

Waverly held a hand protectively over her stomach for a moment as her brow furrowed in thought. After a minute, she nodded and reached over again, this time slipping her hand into Nicole’s pants.

 

Nicole immediately flicked the indicator to pull over before they entered the town.

 

“Keep driving,” Waverly instructed.

 

Nicole screamed inside but was helpless to resist. Waverly’s hormonal surges had been pleasing her enormously and it was her baby in there, so really, how could she say no?

 

Surprising even herself, she continued along the road as Waverly dipped a finger between her lips.

 

Nicole knew she was bright red as they drove through the town and was hyper-focused on the road to make sure she didn’t see anyone they knew. Waverly, however, was casually rubbing Nicole’s clit with one hand and waving at people with the other.

 

Chrissy Nedley came dangerously close to coming over to say hello, but Nicole sped off as soon as the light was green.

 

“Nicole, that was rude,” Waverly chastised.

 

Nicole looked at her in disbelief and sharply gestured her hand towards the one in her pants with one hand still on the wheel.

 

“ _This_ is rude, you won’t even let me pull over!”

 

“Want me to stop?” Waverly asked with an arched eyebrow.

 

Nicole gulped.

 

“No.”

 

She purposefully made the exit onto the deserted backroads to the mountain trail, which was about as coherent as her thoughts could get. Waverly was not letting up and the blood was certainly pooling between her legs.

 

She switched the car into cruise control when the road allowed and continued gripping the steering wheel tightly. She hunched over so any passing car wouldn’t be able to see downwards, which only gave Waverly a better angle.

 

Nicole was wet and Waverly was sliding up and down with ease.

 

“Oh god, Waverly, you’re gonna make me…”

 

She couldn’t stop it; the orgasm coiled in her belly and twisted until it was free. She took in a sharp breath and her knuckles grew white on the wheel as she came against Waverly’s fingers.

 

Nicole was relieved, in a lot of ways, and adjusted her posture properly again. She regained her breath, took back control of the vehicle and relaxed. For all of five seconds until she looked over at Waverly, who had her hand in front of her own pants now and rubbing herself with the fingers Nicole had just coated.

 

“Jesus Christ, Waverly, you’re going to kill me!”

 

Nicole glanced at Waverly’s disappearing hand, down at her own still-opened belt buckle and finally back on the road.

 

“It’s going to be so embarrassing if I have to write up this accident report.”

 

Waverly moaned softly as she touched herself and it hit Nicole as a warm pulse through her sated flesh.

 

“Yep. This is how I die.”

 

“Nicole, just give me your hand,” Waverly moaned.

 

She reached out to grip Nicole’s wrist. Her fingers were wet with two sets of gloss and sticky as they touched Nicole’s skin. Nicole let her take it back and plunge into her pants together. Waverly was soaked and Nicole found friction on her clit with ease.

 

A car with a family of four passed by (though paid them no notion) and Nicole wondered if Peacemaker still worked because she was definitely going to hell and she might prefer a quicker trip if anyone in Purgatory found out about this.

 

And still, she couldn’t stop; couldn’t remove herself from the hot enclosure of Waverly’s thighs squeezing together.

 

“That feels so good, Nicole,” Waverly said as her arms bent behind her to clutch the headrest and her hips rolled forward to continue the pressure.

 

Nicole’s strokes sped up in time with the quickening of Waverly’s breath.

 

When Waverly came, with a wisp of an inhalation and an even softer but deeply satisfied exhale, Nicole couldn’t help but slide lower and push one finger inside to feel the pulsating head.

 

As Waverly’s muscles relaxed again, she pulled Nicole’s hand out and lifted it up to her mouth. She sucked the two fingers that had gotten the job done before finally releasing them with a pop. She put Nicole’s hand back on the steering wheel and fixed up her clothes.

 

“Marriage is keeping things interesting.”

 

Nicole was red from forehead to chest as her mind, on auto-pilot, turned off for the mountain walk.

 

“I’m sorry, Waverly, but marriage is ‘til death do us part and you just killed me. Do you know how many laws we just broke?”

 

Waverly used a sluggish hand to tickle Nicole’s ear.

 

“I know my sexy sheriff isn’t unaccustomed to breaking a law or two when she needs to.”

 

Nicole parked at the entrance to the trail, grateful to not be in control of a moving vehicle any longer. Her head bounced lightly against the headrest as she turned her gaze to Waverly.

 

She looked at her wife’s lightly sheened, sweet, perfect face and smiled.

 

“You just never stop being extraordinary.”

 

She leaned over most of the way so Waverly wouldn’t get another jab in the stomach and kissed her.

 

Waverly returned the kiss and reached across to fix Nicole’s belt. Nicole pulled away to protest because there really were lots of families around now. Waverly rolled her eyes playfully.

 

“I’m doing it up, perve.”

 

She tightened the notch and Nicole’s mouth hung open.

 

“You’re the one who just…!” she sputtered, before grinning, “You better hurry or I’ll tickle your secret spot.”

 

Waverly threw a wink over her shoulder as she opened her door.

 

“I thought you just did that.”

 

She jumped out with a purposeful butt wiggle and Nicole smiled upwards, for the multiple-thousandth time feeling so lucky to have married Waverly. It meant everything to her that the word ‘wife’ filled her with such glee. It meant everything to know she was with the woman her soul was destined for.

 

She jumped out after Waverly and popped the trunk to retrieve the backpack she’d put in there earlier.

 

Waverly hung by the side, confused.

 

“What do you need the backpack for if we’re not doing the full hike?”

 

“I have drinks and snacks for you,” Nicole explained.

 

“An entire backpack full?” Waverly questioned with an arched eyebrow.

 

“And a sweater. And a blanket,” Nicole added, then continued sheepishly, “And a cushion.”

 

Waverly came over and placed her palms flat on Nicole’s collarbone, a respectable position for anyone looking on, but close enough to be intimate.

 

“Baby, that is so sweet, but really, I’m perfectly capable of taking a stroll with you without a cushion,” she explained with a soft smile, “Bring the water and stuff a couple of granola bars in your pocket if it makes you feel better.”

 

Nicole frowned.

 

“But I made you a mango and wheat germ smoothie.”

 

Waverly paused.

 

“Okay, that actually sounds pretty good,” she admitted, “I’ll take the smoothie and you take the water.”

 

Nicole put the bag back in the trunk and handed Waverly the bottle she’d made the smoothie in while keeping the water by her side.

 

She locked the car up and hooked the keys onto her belt.

 

“Ready.”

 

Waverly offered her hand, which Nicole readily took and they walked to the start of the dirt path that began the trail. They both loved this walk; it had just the right amount of natural beauty, panoramic views and quiet sounds of the flora and fauna to make it a couple of miles of pure relaxation.

 

After a while, Waverly moved her head onto Nicole’s shoulder and rubbed her arm.

 

“This is nice. Just the two of us.”

 

“Three of us,” Nicole corrected.

 

Waverly smiled and leaned up to kiss Nicole’s cheek.

 

“I love how excited you are to be a Mommy. I mean, you practically already are to Alice.”

 

Nicole shrugged shyly.

 

“I love being Auntie Nicole, but I’m pretty excited about being Mommy too. And I want the baby years. Hearing their first word and learning how to walk. Even the 2 am feeds and the stinky diapers and the sleep deprivation so bad that gluten-free pizza starts to taste good.”

 

“What?” Waverly interjected.

 

“I want it all,” Nicole continued fluidly, “I want it all with you, Waverly Haught-Earp.”

 

Waverly fixed her arm around Nicole’s waist and held her hip.

 

“I want it all with you too.”

 

They walked together in content silence until they came to a spot they both loved with a little bench that looked out over the canyon. They had to pass through some brambles to get there, which Nicole held back chivalrously.

 

Waverly sat first, after giving the bench a little wipe, and Nicole joined her with an arm around her shoulders.

 

Waverly sighed happily. She sipped on her smoothie and used Nicole’s hands to warm her own.

 

“I love this. I love you.”

 

Nicole kicked her feet out and turned her head to listen to all the sounds of nature around them.

 

“Listen. It's a wren. You’ll always hear them before you can see them.”

 

She smiled thoughtfully.

 

“I always thought it was beautiful that something could lift your heart so much without you ever having seen it.”

 

Nicole’s hand briefly squeezed Waverly’s atop her stomach and she kissed the back of her wife’s ear.

 

“That was how I fell in love with you.”

 

“Love at first beer-drenched shriek?” Waverly remarked, smirking and rolling her eyes at herself.

 

Nicole was pensive for a moment, then shook her head.

 

“No.”

 

Waverly looked up curiously.

  
“No?”

 

Nicole wrapped her arm tighter around Waverly’s shoulders.

 

“I guess 10 minutes before that. I just got off night getting ready to head home, feed Calamity and crash. And then I heard it. This…beautiful, soulful laugh. It was soft but it carried all the way across the street and I felt…invigorated and fresh like I’d woken up from a great sleep to a bird’s beautiful song.”

 

Her lips quirked into a smile in memory.

 

“I looked up and the sun blinded me for a moment but when it focused it lit up your gorgeous face, laughing at something Shorty said,” she recalled the sweetest moment of her life, “And I knew then that I really had to introduce myself…asked Nedley who you were and came over to see if I could get a coffee to stay awake. The rest is…our history.”

 

Waverly turned fully to look at her wife.

 

“Why have I never heard this story? We’ve been together six years.”

 

Nicole shrugged bashfully.

 

“I was going to tell it at the wedding, but I decided it was too deep a peek into my heart.”

 

“Even for me?” Waverly asked softly.

 

“I guess I was embarrassed. I was acting all cocksure that day but really my heart was thumping and I couldn’t get that stupid grin off my face because I fell in love with the laugh of a girl I didn’t know,” Nicole explained, and tucked a piece of hair behind her own ear, “ _And_ maybe I was saving it to get out of trouble one day. Can I get an IOU get-of-jail-free card?”

 

Waverly playfully slapped Nicole’s shoulder.

 

“You better not have just made that up.”

 

She was smiling, but Nicole looked at her seriously.

 

“Waves,” she said, soft but clear, “Never.”

 

She lifted Waverly’s chin with her finger and kissed her soundly, a resolute affirmation of everything she’d said. Waverly pressed her fingertips to Nicole’s jaw and was only mere seconds away from looking around for somewhere they could hide behind and repeat the venture in the car when her phone started buzzing in her pocket.

 

She reluctantly brought it out to check and wished she hadn’t.

 

“Baby, I’m so sorry. They need me at Shorty’s, one of the bartenders called in sick and they can’t find cover.”

 

Nicole deflated a bit but still smiled.

 

“It’s okay, I understand. I’m glad we got to spend some time together.”

 

Waverly pressed three short and sweet kisses to Nicole’s lips and offered her hand to walk back with.

 

Nicole drove them back to town and parked outside Shorty’s.

 

“Want to stick around?” Waverly offered hopefully, “I’ll get you some food.”

 

“Sure,” Nicole agreed with a smile.

 

It both amazed her and didn’t surprise her in the slightest that the mere thought of spending extra time with her wife still thrilled her after all their years.

 

“Okay, but first I _really_ have to pee,” Waverly squealed, jumping out of the car and running into the bar.

 

Nicole shook her head to herself, shut off the engine and headed into the bar after locking it up. She took a seat at the bar and Wynonna sidled up to her a moment later.

 

“I thought I saw Waverly, but she was in a very fast blur.”

 

Nicole spotted the familiar shape of her wife’s back coming from the back room.

 

“She’s right over—” she started, but stood up sharply when she saw what her wife was doing,  “Waverly!”

 

Waverly looked over at her name and stalled the trolley she was rolling a new keg in on. Nicole marched over and gestured at it.

 

“You… shouldn't do that. _In your condition_.”

 

Waverly’s eyes glanced around furtively, then they exchanged a silent look that communicated a lot, not least of which was a familiar ‘don’t tell me how to do my job’. Finally, Waverly gave up and marched behind the bar, while Nicole wrangled with the keg, trying to get it the rest of the way in.

 

Wynonna looked unimpressed and leaned over the bar to talk to Waverly.

 

“I thought she cooled down on the over-protective stuff?” she asked, pulling a confused face, “Like what does how shiny your hair is have to do with changing a keg?”

 

Waverly blinked several times but couldn’t even muster an appropriate response to that level of obliviousness.

 

“Whiskey, Wynonna?”

 

The second bartender came along and took over keg duties, much to Nicole’s relief.

 

“Shots on me!” Wynonna replied as Nicole sat back up on the bar, “A Beaver Tail for me and whatever you two Haughtie-Earps are having.”

 

Waverly’s eyes widened but not as much as Nicole’s. She couldn’t drink for three again. Thinking about Pussy Willows still gave her acid reflux flashbacks. 

 

“I’m doing a cleanse,” Waverly blurted quickly.

 

“Uh, yeah, we’re doing a cleanse!” Nicole added in.

 

Wynonna pulled a face.

 

“Oh god, she’s roped you in too?” she asked Nicole, disappointed, “Well sorry, but I didn’t come here to hang out with the Buzz-Killingtons.”

 

She backed away with her hands up and went to the other end of the bar to challenge the men playing pool.

 

Nicole exhaled the relief of the lucky escape, while Waverly leaned over the bar towards her wife.

 

“Maybe we should change our name.” she joked.

 

“So much paperwork,” Nicole replied, scrunching her face up.

 

Waverly threw the bar towel in her hand over her shoulder and took Nicole’s hands.

 

“You can go home if you want. I know you have to be in work early tomorrow.”

 

“And I know that I’m not letting my pr—” Nicole started to respond, but quickly caught herself, “Pr _etty_ wife come home alone so late wielding a drunken Wynonna.”

 

Waverly smiled, but the man sitting down the bar, a biker in full get up including tattoos and beard, scoffed and took a swig from his glass of beer.

 

“She’s a human being you know.”

 

Nicole arched an eyebrow.

 

“She has permission to objectify me,” Waverly replied sweetly.

 

The man seemed to lose his gruffness then and bowed his hat to them. Nicole blinked several times as he walked away.

 

“I don’t know who gets more weirdos on the job, you or me.”

 

“My weirdos usually become your weirdos,” Waverly rationalized, “That’s why I try to cut them off.”

 

“Don’t say that too loudly, they’ll think it’s a conspiracy,” Nicole whispered loudly.

 

Waverly squeezed Nicole’s hands.

 

“You sure you don’t mind hanging out?”

 

Nicole leaned over the bar to kiss Waverly’s cheek.

 

“Watching you work is a privilege,” she said, “But please, Waverly.”

 

She looked at her wife seriously.

  
“Don’t do any heavy lifting.”

 

Waverly nodded a promise and blew a kiss.

 

It took less than an hour for Wynonna to convince, or rather badger Nicole into having a shot.

 

And then another.

 

And then another.

 

Nicole found out the only thing better than drinking Christmas was drinking Easter, by way of a chocolate liqueur and caramel vodka shot Wynonna claimed to have invented.

 

Pretty soon they were hustling the biker guy at pool, except failing spectacularly because neither of them could see straight.

 

Waverly liked to see her wife having fun, especially when she could keep an eye on her and Nicole _couldn’t_ keep an eye on many half-naked women, but she had to intervene when they kept losing money. None of them were exactly rolling in it as it was.

 

She sent Nicole to a booth in the corner, where she curled up like a chastised child but fell asleep quickly.

 

When the bar was finally ready to close, Waverly approached and kissed her cheek.

 

“Baby,” she said softly, “C’mon, let’s go home to bed.”

 

Nicole looked up, bleary-eyed.

 

“Where’s Wynonna?”

 

“I already shoved her in the backseat,” Waverly explained, then lifted her hands defensively at the look Nicole gave her, “I didn’t lift her.”

 

Nicole dragged herself out of the booth and they made their way outside, Waverly locking up behind them. Nicole got into the passenger seat and looked into the backseat, where Wynonna was lying at what looked like an uncomfortable position, but she clearly didn’t care as she snored away.

 

Nicole buckled up and tried to hold Waverly’s hand as they drove back to the homestead.

 

“Nicole, stop trying to tickle me!” Waverly protested.

 

“You’re so cute when you laugh,” Nicole giggled, “You’re so cute when you _everything_.”

 

Waverly struggled to contain a smile. Nicole was a very cute drunk even if it often led her to unfavorable situations.

 

They got home and Waverly opened the back door, but Nicole stumbled over and threw herself in front of it.

 

“No, nope!” Nicole exclaimed, “I’mma do it. ‘Cause you, mm-mm, nope with the lifting ‘cause…”

 

She pointed at Waverly’s stomach dramatically and covered the wrong side of her mouth with her hand.

 

“The baby… _pea-nut,_ ” she stage-whispered and Waverly would have been angry if she couldn’t hear Wynonna still snoring.

 

Waverly made a cutting motion across her throat.

 

“Ixnay ethay abybay alktay.”

 

Nicole’s face scrunched adorably.

 

“Baby, I don’t speak Latin.”

 

Waverly rolled her eyes.

 

“That was pig Latin.”

 

“I don’t know the Latin of any animal,” Nicole admitted, looking quite sad at her own revelation.

 

Waverly threw her hands up and marched inside.

 

Nicole did the dragging of Wynonna out of the car, literally dragging her and depositing her on the couch. Waverly covered her with a blanket and closed the blinds so she wouldn’t be confronted with the sunlight in the morning.

 

She went back to close the front door, which woke Wynonna who sat up straight.

 

“Wait, I thought up a song about Officer Haught Stuff,” she said, eyes trying to focus, “And theeeeyyyy callleee it…puuuuppppy looooovvvveeee…”

 

“That’s a real song Wynonna,” Waverly answered flatly.

 

Wynonna took it as a compliment.

 

“I know, I could like, sell it,” she replied seriously, “But they wouldn’t buy it if they didn’t know, you know…her face. Would she sell me her face?”

 

Waverly flicked the light switch at the end of the stairs.

 

“Goodnight Wynonna.”

 

When she got upstairs, Nicole had already passed out in just her undershirt and underwear.

 

Waverly came over and bent her knees down to kiss Nicole’s temple.

 

“Goodnight, my love.”

 

She was glad she wouldn’t have to be around to deal with the resulting hangover.


	8. Chapter 8

Nicole sat at her desk with two hands around a steaming mug of coffee and eyes staring ahead with painful stillness.

 

She couldn’t move them, because that would make her head throb. Just like any other minute movement her body made. She had hit hangover before she’d even woken up, and had opened her eyes to experiencing it full-throttle.

 

Of all of her on-the-job and off-the-job injuries, getting into the shower, pulling on her scratchy uniform and having to drive all the way to the station was the most painful things she’d ever experienced. She thought she’d learned her lesson about drinking with Wynonna. Even if it had been fun to blow off some steam with the chaos of dealing with Waverly’s pregnancy, her shooting, and the everyday life being part of the Earp family all at once.

 

But nothing was worth this agony.

 

Very slowly, careful not to startle herself, she brought her mug up to her mouth and took a sip of coffee. The rich liquid was a momentary reprieve, but once it was lost to her stomach the feelings all came flooding back.

 

“Eurgh,” she groaned, so thankful to have her own office where she could isolate herself from outside noise.

 

Still, every so often, as was to be expected in a police station, something rambunctious happened. Crashing or shouting, or some other _noise_ that just cracked through Nicole’s head like a lightning bolt.

 

As some such nondescript shouting was going on, Lonnie knocked on her door and opened it without waiting for a response.

 

“Uh, Sheriff.”

 

Nicole barely looked up, hiding her pale face in a decoy file on her desk.

 

“Lonnie, can you please use your superior police training and deal with this on your own?”

 

Lonnie gulped audibly.

 

“No ma’am, I cannot.”

 

“—VANILLA DIP DONUT!!”

 

Nicole’s head sprang up as the very familiar voice reverberated against the walls, though much louder than she’d heard in quite a while.

 

Nicole jumped out of her chair and rushed out of her office. Waverly was standing at the front of the squad room, holding the half-consumed box of donuts delivered to the department every morning.

 

“IS IT SO GOD-DAMN HARD TO LEAVE ME ONE VANILLA DIP DONUT?!”

 

Waverly continued to meltdown and Nicole looked on, stunned. Waverly had been having mood swings, but none quite so intense, or public. The worst had been crying through the Meow Mix commercial because she didn’t know if the cats’ meows were for a genuine love of the food or if they were being exploited.

 

As Nicole watched her sweet bundle of emotion rage manically, her mouth agape, Dolls strolled over with a mug of coffee in his hand.

 

“Not possessed again, right?”

  
“No,” Nicole answered curtly, then under her breath, “I don’t think.”

 

“So just pregnant?” Dolls asked casually, resulting in a wide-eyed sidelong glance from Nicole.

 

He sipped his coffee and held it in front of him again.

 

“I’ll amend our donut order.”

 

He walked away and Nicole snapped to attention, marching over to her wife. She took her arm gently.

 

“Waverly.”

 

Waverly spun around, her nostrils flaring in frustration.

 

“Nicole, can you tell these—”

 

“Stop it,” Nicole interrupted with a hardened face.

 

She took the box and put it down on the nearest desk, then tugged Waverly’s arm, not enough to hurt her but enough to get her to come with her.

 

She brought her wife into her office and closed the door behind them.

 

“Waverly, what has gotten into you? This is our place of work; I’m the Sheriff for god’s sake!”

 

Waverly looked up at Nicole with the biggest, saddest eyes she’d ever seen, then promptly dropped to the floor, cross-legged and started crying into her hands.

 

“I just wanted a vanilla dip donut, Nicole. Is that so wrong?”

 

Nicole looked down at her adorable, hormonal mess of a wife and felt her heart break a little. She closed both sets of blinds and joined Waverly on the floor in the same position. She placed her hands over Waverly’s knees.

 

“No, baby, it’s not wrong. But you can’t yell at everyone else for it.”

 

Waverly sniffled.

 

“I know. I’ll say sorry. But if they could just leave me _one_.”

 

“I promise there’ll be a vanilla dip donut waiting for you every day,” Nicole reassured, squeezing Waverly’s knees, “Dolls guessed by the way.”

 

Waverly shrugged one shoulder. Dolls always knew everything anyway.

 

Nicole helped Waverly up to the couch, noting she was wearing a loose-fitting top to hide the small bump. Soon, Dolls wouldn’t be the only one to guess, but they were holding out for their first 12-week scan to make sure everything was okay and to have pictures to show.

 

So far only the creepy regulars at Shorty’s had noticed her lack of crop tops.

 

Nicole left briefly to get Waverly a glass of water.

 

“Sorry folks. Back to normal business,” she advised as she walked through.

 

The other officers got back to their work or at least pretended to, but Lonnie stood up and blocked her way.

 

“Is it safe to take a donut?”

 

Nicole fixed him with a steady gaze and pointed at the ringing phone on the lead desk.

 

“Answer the phone, Lonnie.”

 

She marched past him and shook her head. God, he was annoying. She hated that he was one of her best cops.

 

She returned to her office and closed the door again, offering the water to Waverly.

 

Waverly slowly sipped it while Nicole came to sit next to her and rub her back.

 

“Are you having a hard time baby?”

 

Waverly held the cool glass to her hot cheeks.

 

“It’s like PMS on crack. Sometimes I don’t know if I’m up or down. Wynonna didn’t have any of this.”

 

“Wynonna was pregnant for like eight days,” Nicole dismissed, “This is normal. Unfortunate, but normal. And I’m here to help however I can.”

 

Waverly leaned her head down onto Nicole’s shoulder.

 

“Stopping me from projecting my adorable psycho onto everyone definitely helps.”

 

She turned her head in and inhaled that sweet scent, the lack of which had sent her into such incandescent rage earlier.

 

“You keep me grounded.”

 

Nicole continued stroking Waverly’s back, wishing she could take the pain and discomfort away.

 

Eventually, Waverly lifted her head and her eyes were clearer. She sat back and took some deep breaths. Her palms lay flat on the couch and pulled some of the material that had begun to frat over the years.

 

“Why don’t you get rid of this raggedy old couch already?”

 

Nicole leaned back and smiled at her wife.

 

“The love of my life kissed me for the first time on this couch.”

 

“Well the love of my life gave me boob for the first time here too,” Waverly replied, then smiled self-deprecatingly, “Man, I do not have a good record of being romantic in this spot.”

 

“Did it change your life?” Nicole asked teasingly.

 

Waverly nodded.

 

“I can categorically confirm that boobs changed my life.”

 

There was a knock at the door and Nicole answered it. Lonnie shoved a square, pink box at her face, only missing her nose because Nicole had quick reflexes and dodged it. He walked off before Nicole had a chance to say anything.

 

Nicole popped the top of the box. There was a vanilla dip donut inside with a scratched note that said ‘Sorry I ate the last one’. Nicole smiled and shook her head. Goddamn Lonnie always putting himself back in her good graces.

 

She handed the box over to Waverly, who opened it and read the note too and promptly burst into fresh tears.

 

“I’ve made an ass of myself and totally embarrassed you in front of your squad, haven’t I?”

 

Nicole put a comforting arm around her wife’s shoulders.

 

“They all think you across-the-hallers are bananas anyway,” she said soothingly, “Seriously baby, you think you can out-cray Wynonna? She once got so annoyed with the microwave, she tied it to the cabinet handle with a bullet hole through the glass on top of a big red ‘X’, and to this day I don’t know that it was paint.”

 

Waverly smiled at Nicole’s attempts to make her laugh.

 

“Can I make it up to you?”

 

Nicole raised an eyebrow suggestively.

 

“You still have those Liz Wallis-Windsor glasses?”

 

Waverly playfully shoved Nicole’s shoulder, who just smiled softly and took Waverly’s hand.

 

“Just come to me when you feel bad and let me help you through it.”

 

Waverly looked down.

 

“I know your work is important.”

 

Nicole nodded. It was, and she worked hard to keep her authority and their shared workspace as professional as possible. But Waverly was pregnant, and if anything necessitated a little leeway, it was that.

 

“And so are you,” Nicole answered, “This is a temporary thing, we’ll fit in around each other but I need to know you’re okay or that you’re safe when you’re not.”

 

Waverly willed herself not to cry at the sweet concern.

 

“I actually have to get over there and get some translations done.”

 

“Okay, baby, but look after yourself,” Nicole replied, helping her stand up.

 

Waverly put her doughnut box back on the couch and reached in for it. She broke it in half and gave one side to her wife.

 

“I want to share it with you.”

 

Nicole smiled.

 

“Thank you, baby.”

 

She set it aside and after fixing Waverly’s red eyes and cheeks up a bit to keep her dignity, she patted her wife on the back and opened the blinds again.

 

All of the drama had shaken her out of her hangover and she was ready to get to work.

 

A couple of hours later, Waverly was in the break room, standing next to the open-door refrigerator, repeatedly dunking a teabag into a cup of tea.

 

Nicole approached and gently caught Waverly by the waist.

 

“How are my two cuties feeling now?”

 

The fridge door suddenly slammed closed and Wynonna appeared from behind it.

 

“I belong to no one, Haught,” she proclaimed as she squeezed some whipped cream into her mouth straight from the can, “Except my inner demons. And I consider them friends.”

 

She sat on a chair and put one leg up on the table.

 

“I’ll take the cutie though. I’ve been trying to soften my image.”

 

She pointed the whipped cream can at her sister.

 

“Unlike Waverly here who’s gone from nicest to nuttiest in zero point zero donuts.”

 

Nicole mouthed ‘ignore her’ and Waverly did. She’d already put in comp vouchers behind the bar for all of the officers and she thought that would work pretty well in getting her sash restored.

 

“Waverly, can I speak to you alone for a moment?”

 

“I get it, I get it,” Wynonna replied and strolled out of the break room.

 

Nicole took Waverly’s hands.

 

“Just checking in.”

 

“And you’ll never know how much I love you for it,” Waverly replied sweetly, “I’m feeling fine. The crazy has left the building.”

 

“Well I think the Waverly should leave the building and rest a little before your shift at Shorty’s later,” Nicole suggested, “I don’t think being exhausted will  help things.”

 

Waverly nodded slowly and Nicole flinched a little.

 

“Am I being bossy?”

 

“No, no,” Waverly quickly reassured, “I’m just thinking when…”

 

She paused in case anyone was lingering.

 

“When we’re able to _taste the peanut properly_ , late shifts won’t work out so well. So maybe it’s time to start scaling back anyway. Stick to the managerial work I signed on for. It’ll be easier on my body too.”

 

“I’m sure Doc will be happy to accommodate,” Nicole replied, pleased, “Listen I have to get back to work but if you’re super quick I’ll let you kiss me in uniform.”

 

Waverly grinned and stole the smooch before it was rescinded. Nicole couldn’t help but smile adoringly.

 

“I’ll see you later, Waverly.”

 

Waverly watched her love go, feeling fresh awe grow for just how much she was ‘the luckiest’.

 

She had no idea Nicole was retreating with the exact same thought.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Waverly was on a step ladder changing a light bulb in the kitchen, taking the opportunity to get some household chores done while Nicole was at work and not hovering.

 

She loved that woman but man that protective streak could get annoying now that baby was on board. Waverly was pretty sure Nicole would carry her down the stairs every morning if she’d let her.

 

On the flip side, when Wynonna was about she was happy to let Waverly run around and do things. Like right now as she sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee, despite having the height advantage for the job at hand.

 

A phone buzzed and Waverly patted her pants but realized she had no pockets. She was wearing a long sweater that reached mid-thigh over leggings, one of the few things that still both fit and hid her now that her three-months-along belly was a noticeable bulge. In fact, if Wynonna would have just looked up slightly, she would have spotted it beneath the hem of the sweater. The roundness was also noticeable as she leaned and she was glad they would be telling people soon because it was really becoming a total pain in the ass to hide, especially when working at Shorty’s. You never realize how often you bump into things until you’re protecting precious cargo at every turn.

 

“Is that mine or yours?”

 

Wynonna glanced at the two phones on the table and picked up the one that lit up.

 

“Nicole wants to know if you took your phallic salad,” she read, then pulled a face, “And I do not want to know what that means.”

 

Waverly stepped down and snatched the phone from her sister.

 

“It autocorrected. She meant folic acid.”

 

“Oh yeah, they had me take that stuff when I was pregnant,” Wynonna replied off-hand.

 

Waverly paused as she realized what she said, and Wynonna’s eyes went wide.

 

“Wait!”

 

Waverly held her breath, hoping Nicole wouldn’t be too mad for letting it slip.

 

“Have you responded yet? I wanna tell her to go eat her own dick salad,” Wynonna said finally, unaware of the tension in her sister’s shoulders.

 

Waverly puffed out the breath and scowled.

 

“You’re not using my phone for your childish exchanges,” she said curtly, “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

 

“Shouldn’t you?” Wynonna retorted, “I know we got some new texts emailed in last night. Dolls says they’re connected to whatever dissection Jeremy is taking a stab at.”

 

Waverly rolled her eyes at the attempt of a joke.

 

“I’m going in after lunch.”

 

“Great, you can make me some too,” Wynonna replied, grinning.

 

Waverly shook her head.

 

“I have an appointment and then getting something to eat on the way home.”

 

“Does this _appointment_ involve you sneaking off with our good Sheriff?” Wynonna asked, scoffing, “You guys aren’t even _trying_ to be discreet lately. Always running off to be alone and sending enough googly eyes to power an entire fleet of swan boats in a Tunnel of Love.”

 

Despite her minorly annoying bouts of protectiveness, Waverly couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Nicole. She loved her, loved having their little secret and loved the excitement they got to share every time a new bulge or symptom made itself known. Even the morning sickness and bouts of crazy had been a bonding experience when Nicole held her and helped her through it all.

 

Yep, she definitely loved that woman.

 

“Uh huh, just like that,” Wynonna commented on the smile spreading across Waverly’s face, “She’s not even here!”

 

Waverly finally finished replying to the message; a curt ‘Yes Nicole’ becoming ‘Yes baby, thanks for asking <3’.

 

“I’m not going to apologize for being in love with my wife, Wynonna.”

 

Wynonna just chuckled to herself and smiled.

 

“I wouldn’t want you to.”

 

She jumped up and grabbed her keys.

 

“Okay, the boys have had enough fun without me. See you later, babygirl.”

 

Waverly waved goodbye and finished her chores right in time for Nicole to come through the door.

 

“Waverly? You home?”

 

“In the kitchen,” Waverly called.

 

Nicole made her way over, but stopped at the threshold, her eyes lighting up.

 

“Waves, wow.”

 

Waverly stalled, confused.

 

“What?”

 

Nicole's eyes drank Waverly in like the short drink of water she was.

 

“You look beautiful.”

 

Waverly glanced down at herself to see if she’d somehow transformed into skimpy lingerie, but nope, she was wearing the same old raggedy sweater she’d pulled on that morning.

 

“I literally dragged this out of the back of my closet,” she said with a slightly awkward laugh, “It’s the only thing I had that actually covered me and the little nut…sack. Ooh, no. Joke rescinded, joke rescinded.”

 

Nicole just laughed and took Waverly’s hand to make her do a twirl. Every passing day of her pregnancy just made Waverly’s beauty even more apparent to Nicole.

 

“Well, you can really pull anything off because you look great.”

 

Waverly was blushing; this was certainly an unexpected ego boost she was happy to accept.

 

Nicole didn’t look half bad herself. That uniform always had and always would give Waverly a little tingle.

 

She reached out and hooked her thumbs into Nicole’s duty belt, pulling them together.

 

“You’re pretty good at pulling sweaters off too,” she said, looking up through her eyelashes evocatively

 

Nicole’s head began to swim with that stunned stillness of arousal that only Waverly could produce. She blushed and averted her gaze to break it, but caught Waverly’s eye again when she’d taken in a steadying breath.

 

“Can I pull it off later?”

 

Waverly took the opportunity to dip her fingers inside the waistband of Nicole’s pants, rubbing against either side of her hip bone.

 

“I suppose I can hold my thought,” she agreed, pulling her hands away before her whole demeanor changed as she stood herself up on her tiptoes, “But only because I am so excited.”

 

Nicole’s smile lit up her face. She linked both sets of hands with Waverly’s so their fingers interlocked.

 

“I know, baby, me too,” she said in the same tone, leaning in for a sweet kiss for emphasis, “Let me go get changed real quick okay?”

 

Waverly nodded with a little bit of disappointment, but it didn’t last long. A new tingle made itself known as she watched her wife descend the stairs again.

 

Waverly loved the uniform, but she loved Nicole’s shirts that showed off the curves of her waist too, especially when worn with those pleated pants that Waverly found inexplicably sexy and a belt she could imagine ripping open later. But really, Nicole could wear a potato sack and Waverly would find the benefits of it.

 

Nicole came in and picked up the keys she’d left on the table.

 

“You ready?”

 

Nicole didn’t even know the double meaning of her words, but Waverly nodded anyway. She’d just have to show Nicole after.

 

They went out to the car and after making sure Waverly was buckled up, Nicole drove back out of the homestead.

 

Nicole considered putting the radio on or making conversation but Waverly was off in a daydream, so Nicole left her in peace. They were traveling a few towns over, so she’d have some time to be in her own head too.

 

She didn’t mind; her own thoughts were full of joy at the thoughts of what was coming that afternoon, too.


	10. Chapter 10

Waverly strode purposefully across the squad room to the Sheriff’s office.

 

_Her_ Sheriff’s office, she thought proudly, not for the first time.

 

But today there were more pressing matters.

 

She walked into the office and backed up against the door, closing it with a soft ‘click’.

 

Nicole was on the phone and looking at her with a polite ‘please leave, I’m working’ smile.

 

Waverly stayed where she was.

 

“It’s happening.”

 

Nicole’s eyebrows shot up.

 

“Right now?!” she exclaimed, surprised, then suddenly remembered what was pressed against her ear, “Sir I’ll have to call you back. Yes, I think the quarterly departmental budget meeting is important. I have an emergency, goodbye!”

 

She slammed the phone down and stood up. After a moment staring at Waverly in shock, her hands began to gesture in a panic.

 

“Ahhh!”

 

She came around from the desk.

 

“What do we do?”

 

“We get to the hotel, stat!” Waverly replied pointedly.

 

Nicole quickly nodded and retrieved an object hidden under her desk. Waverly’s eyes widened.

 

“You brought it inside with you?!”

 

“We have to keep it upright!” Nicole protested, “I don’t trust anything to stay upright in our house with Wynonna pounding around in those boots!”  


Waverly floundered for a moment.

 

“At least try to hide it in your coat or something.”

 

Nicole’s whole face froze in alarm.

 

“I don’t have a coat!”

 

Waverly threw her hands up in exasperation and took it by the handle.

 

“Don’t swing it!” Nicole said, drawing in a sharp breath.

 

Waverly’s hand stilled and they both watched it for a tense second like it would make any difference. Finally, carefully, Waverly tucked it against her side and motioned for Nicole to follow her.

 

They tried to sneak out inconspicuously but halfway out the door, a junior officer came running over.

 

“Haught!”

 

A look of annoyance passed over Waverly’s face.

 

“Seriously, it’s Haught-Earp! Why does no one ever call her that?”

 

“Uh, sorry Sheriff Haught. Earp,” the officer amended quickly, “Uh, there’s a kid in the lock-up, tested positive for methamphetamine but doesn’t seem to have any on his person. He’s sobered up, should we cut him loose?”

 

Nicole nodded curtly.

 

“Trust your instincts. I gotta go. On my cell, if you need me, but please don’t need me.”

 

She pushed on Waverly’s back for her to continue and they speed-walked out to the car.

 

Waverly settled the object between her legs and crossed the seatbelt over them both. She quietly looked out the window for the first few minutes of the journey.

 

“I can’t believe we waited an extra month just to plan this right—”

 

“Well, _you_ insisted—” Nicole started to interject but Waverly continued over her.

 

“—and it comes two days early.”

 

Nicole plastered a smile on her face and looked forward, concentrating on her driving.

 

“Luckily you bought _and paid for_ a whole week at the hotel then,” she said, tapping fingers against the wheel, “On a place that operates at 50% occupancy at the best of times.”

 

The next part came out barely audible.

 

“Not like we were trying to save money this way.”

 

Waverly, of course, heard it anyway.

 

“That is super not helpful right now, Nicole.”

 

Nicole pursed her lips.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to stress you out.”

 

“You’re doing a lousy job,” Waverly muttered.

 

Nicole sighed.

 

This was not going as planned.

 

“Tell me our status.”

 

Waverly knew she was being placated; that Nicole knew her incessant planning was her way of destressing a situation and that it was being taken advantage of, but neither of them wanted her to be stressed, so she went with it.

 

“We should arrive in 35 minutes and I pre-requested extra pillows and towels. We’ll be finished in about an hour, maybe less if you’re quick and back in Purgatory 45 minutes after that. I’ll go back to Shorty’s, you’ll collect Alice from school and no one will be any the wiser about what we were up to today.”

 

Nicole smiled across the car.

 

“That’s some good planning, baby.”

 

Waverly couldn’t help it, an answering smile broke out on her face.

 

“You’re cute when you try so hard.”

 

“Have you allowed time for kissing?” Nicole asked not-so-innocently.

 

Waverly reached over and placed a hand on Nicole’s thigh.

 

“You didn’t think you were going to get this done without kissing, did you? I expect at least 7-9 minutes, but you’re free to try for extra credit.”

 

Nicole laughed, a deep belly laugh that screamed ‘I love this person’, even if it was just in that moment.

 

But it wasn’t just a moment, for Nicole, it had never been.

 

It was every moment she’d known Waverly and every moment she would know Waverly until the energy that made up their beings witnessed the end of the universe together.

 

“I love you, Waverly,” she said, the laugh still caught in her throat and making her grin stupidly.

 

Waverly was so utterly in love with that smile.

 

“God I love you too.”

 

They shared some googly eyes, which Wynonna would be happy to know she missed, as safely as possible with Nicole driving.

 

They got to the hotel a few towns over in good time, and Waverly brought them straight up to the room she’d checked into the day before. Nicole felt like the clerk looked at them suspiciously, but she would have too with all the creeping around they were doing.

 

“This is us,” Waverly said as they stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall.

 

She used the keycard to let them in, and Nicole closed the door behind them.

 

An hour and fifteen minutes later, they came out, both with tousled hair and Waverly tucking her shirt back into her pants.

 

Nicole smoothed out her hair quickly and took her wife’s hand.

 

“C’mon baby, we have to hurry, Alice finishes up soon.”

 

“You went for too much extra credit,” Waverly replied quickly.

 

“I always was an overachiever,” Nicole quipped back.

 

They got back to the car and Nicole paused briefly to squeeze Waverly’s thigh.

 

“You okay?”

 

Waverly blushed.

 

“Yes. I feel really good.”

 

Nicole smiled and winked, then quickly pulled out of the lot.

 

Later that evening, Waverly was alone in the house and pre-packing Nicole and Alice’s lunch for the next day. The front door opened and she looked up hoping it was Nicole because she was just bubbling with the thrill of it all and needed her wife’s ear to bend.

 

Instead, it was Wynonna, but Waverly tried not to look disappointed.

 

“Hey, babygirl.”

 

“Hey Wynonna,” Waverly returned, slapping her sister’s hand out of the way when she stole a baby carrot, “Out with Doc?”

 

“In with Dolls. Ew, I thought this was a Cheeto,” Wynonna replied, pulling a face, then saw her sister was pulling one too, “Don’t give me that look. We all saw you sneaking off with Nicole earlier.”

 

Waverly’s cheeks reddened.

 

“She had a late lunch.”

 

Wynonna sat at the table with her feet on it.

 

“You both get to eat?” she asked with a suggestive grin, and took her flask from her hip, “You know, you should get Nicole to cut back on the caffeine. I saw that gigantic thermos she was carrying around.”

 

She paused briefly to swig from her flask.

 

“I say this for her health.”

 

Waverly rolled her eyes.

 

“It wasn’t coffee.”

 

“Well then she consumes a weird amount of soup,” Wynonna retorted, the suddenly seemed to realize how quiet it was, “Did she kidnap my kid?”

 

“Nicole promised to take her to her swimming so they went after school,” Waverly said, “They should be home soon though, it’s nearly bedtime.”

 

“I know, that’s why I came home,” Wynonna answered.

 

“I’m sure they’ll be back any—”

 

The key sounded in the door and moments later there was a blur of movement as Alice sped in, excited and holding a red balloon on a stick.

 

“Nonnee!” she exclaimed happily, jumping into her mother’s lap, “Auntie Nicole played the nee-naw sounds and got me a b’loon!”

 

Wynonna held her squirming daughter on her lap.

 

“Did she feed you soup?”

 

Nicole approached from behind, holding a white paper bag in one hand. Her brow creased, confused at the question.

 

“We had spaghetti from Pass The Sauce.”

 

Wynonna looked up hopefully.

 

“Did you bring me a doggy bag?”

 

Nicole thrust the bag forward.

 

Wynonna snatched it with a grin.

 

“This is why you’re my second favorite sister-in-law,” she said, then snatched Alice up under her arm, “Come on kiddo, I’ll take you to bed.”

 

“Second?” Nicole asked helplessly to Wynonna’s back, as she carted the squealing and giggling child up the stairs.

 

She looked at Waverly, a mixture of sadness and frustration.

 

“She doesn’t have any others!”

 

Waverly came over and placed each hand on Nicole’s shoulders. She stood on her tiptoes to press a sweet kiss to her wife’s lips.

 

“You’re my first favorite everything,” she responded with a warm smile, “How’s my best baby?”

 

“I’m excited, and still scared but mostly excited,” Nicole answered honestly, “But I have a good feeling. This is it this time. How are you feeling?”

 

Waverly placed both palms on her stomach, making a heart shape in the space between them.

 

She glanced down at the spot, then back at Nicole with a burgeoning smile.

 

“Hopefully a little bit pregnant.”

* * *

 

Nicole glanced at Waverly, who was still lost in her own thoughts.

 

Nicole worried the sterility of the OB clinic’s waiting room was bringing out her wife’s anxieties. She discreetly made a gentle rub on her thigh.

 

“You okay, baby?” she whispered.

 

Waverly blinked several times and found her hands had crept to the same position on her stomach as she’d been remembering in her head. A smile spread on her face at the bulge there for them to rest on. She turned to Nicole and leaned in close enough to briefly show some affection by bumping her nose to Nicole’s cheek.

 

“Just thinking about how we got here.”

 

“Sorry it was bumpy, I’ll drive slower on the way home,” Nicole offered as a response.

 

Waverly pursed her lips to stop the laugh that threatened to break out at her wife’s misunderstanding. She shook her head and leaned down on her wife’s shoulder.

 

“I love you, Nicole.”

 

Nicole smiled and held Waverly’s head against her for a moment.

 

“Do you need more water?”

 

Waverly shook her head surely.

 

“My bladder is definitely full. And has been for twenty miles and however long we’ve been sitting here. Do they know this is basically a torture chamber of pregnant women?”

 

Nicole glanced around at the other squirming women and their respective partners in various states of emotion. Some were excited, like her; some seemed antsy; some seemed very, very terrified.

 

Nicole could relate, in part. Sometimes the thought of becoming a parent was more terrifying than even the most terrifying forces of evil they’d encountered. But they always won. And she was pretty sure she and Waverly could kick ass at this too. Together.

 

Waverly endured another uncomfortable five minutes until they were called into the treatment room. Nicole helped her up onto the examination table next to the ultrasound machine. Waverly exposed her stomach and tried to cover herself up with the blanket, but Nicole stopped her.

 

Nicole leaned down and pressed a kiss to the bump.

 

“I thought you could never be more beautiful but you just swell with more beauty each and every day.”

 

Waverly felt a rush of hormonal and genuine emotion.

 

“Nicole,” she said, sniffling slightly.

 

Nicole tenderly covered her and took a seat on the stool offered. She was looking all around, noting all of the equipment.

 

A doctor entered, not one they’d dealt with before. She introduced herself as Dr. Henning and said she was taking over their previous doctor’s patients. She laughed that Waverly was all ready to go since most people tended to wait for her in the chairs at the desk, but she liked their eagerness.

 

She was short, enough that her lab coat almost trailed the floor but she was confident and friendly and capable and put them at ease.

 

Well, she put Waverly at ease. Nicole was treating her with the kind of suspicion normally reserved for the people in her lock-up.

 

“Do you have a thorough hand cleansing procedure between patients?”

 

“Nicole!” Waverly said in disbelief, shooting her wife a look before turning to the doctor, apologetic, “I’m so sorry. She’s a little overprotective.”

 

Waverly nudged her, but Nicole stayed firm.

 

“It’s called taking care of my wife.”

 

“You are the only one she has,” Dr. Henning replied understandingly.

 

Waverly cast some serious side-eye in Nicole’s direction.

 

“Technically I'm her second wife.”

 

Nicole stayed rooted to the spot, wishing the ground would swallow her up with the most awkward smile known to man on her face.

 

“First one I helped knock up though,” she blurted to fill the silence, which only served to redden her cheeks more.

 

Dr. Henning’s eyebrows rose but fluidly moved on, reading Waverly’s file.

 

“I see you had two unsuccessful rounds of IUI with us here and that the pregnancy is the result of a home insemination, is that correct?”

 

“Yes,” Waverly answered before Nicole could say anything else, “Well, we did it at a hotel. _She_ did it at a hotel.”

 

“Hence the knocking up,” Dr. Henning replied breezily and Waverly couldn’t stop the snort of laughter.

 

Nicole really blushed to her toes but knew from the look Waverly was sending her she knew she deserved it.

 

Their doctor seemed amused but remained professional as she talked them through how the scan worked. As she turned to get the jelly for Waverly’s stomach, Waverly reached out and gripped Nicole’s hand. Nicole took it and held it strong in her grasp. She smiled down reassuringly and Waverly seemed to take some strength from that.

 

She tried not to jump when the cool jelly was squeezed onto her skin and found herself feeling a sense of alarm she’d never felt before when the probe pressed it. There was some pressure and she realized she was worried it was hurting the baby.

 

Intellectually she could tell herself the baby was very little and even better protected, but a tension coiled in her body at the strength in which she felt this new fear. They’d lost Alice once and she’d been faced with losing Nicole and Wynonna an unfortunately numerous amount of times yet still she wasn’t prepared for how much this child inside her was so fused into her very being.

 

It made Nicole’s next words all the more poignant for her.

 

“This doesn’t hurt the baby, does it?”

 

“Not at all,” Dr. Henning reassured.

 

Everyone watched the screen, a little tensely until the sepia-toned picture blurred into being.

 

An odd-shaped sack held a tiny curved human-lima bean hybrid shaped fetus and both Waverly and Nicole took a sharply indrawn breath at the same time.

 

“And there is your baby.”

 

Some white lines cut across the screen as some measurements were taken, but neither of them noticed. They were both just staring in awe at the rotating pictures of the little thing that had become so important in their lives.

 

“Wow,” Nicole said eventually, face moving from stunned to delighted, “Hey peanut.”

 

Waverly felt joy bloom in her heart at the images and the tone of Nicole’s voice and knew that this moment had changed her, and them, forever.

 

After a few more minutes, Dr. Henning paused the probe but kept it facing on so they had the best picture.

 

“I can tell you that from your bloodwork and NT imaging last week and with this scan, that there are no abnormalities showing and you appear to be carrying a perfectly healthy pregnancy.”

 

Nicole lifted Waverly’s hand and kissed her knuckles three times in quick succession. Waverly wanted to throw her head back and laugh to release the joy and the magic and the sheer emotion filling her heart but the doctor spoke again before she could even process it.

 

“Would you like to know the sex?”

 

“You can tell?” Waverly asked in surprise, “Isn’t it too early?”

 

Dr. Henning just smiled.

 

“I have a pretty good idea. I come from a gender detection background in my previous role. Plus these new machines are vivid and I have a good view right now.”

 

Waverly looked to Nicole, who looked back with a soft smile.

 

“It’s up to you, baby.”

 

Waverly didn’t really have to consider it.

 

“I’m a planner.”

 

Nicole directed her smile to the doctor.

 

“We want to know.”

 

Dr. Henning cocked her head and had another little look to confirm, then smiled at them.

 

“It’s a girl.”

 

Nicole just laughed, hearty and joyous and Waverly closed her eyes as that familiar feeling settled over her.

 

“Of course.”

 

Nicole’s cheeks hurt from smiling but she didn’t care.

 

“Is she sucking her thumb?”

 

“Looks like it, doesn’t it?” Dr. Henning replied, turning the angle of the probe just slightly.

 

Nicole looked in closer to really get a good look.

 

“Can they do that this young?”

 

“They can and she is,” Dr. Henning confirmed, “It’s amazing how much they can do from so little. Fetuses can listen, learn, even remember at some level. Mom’s voice comforts them and any other voices they hear regularly.”

 

“I’ll start talking to her more,” Nicole said quickly, “Maybe they have books to read to unborn babies. Do you think there’s a section on Amazon?”

 

“I’ll check the WebMD discussion boards,” Waverly replied just as seriously.

 

They nodded at each other that they had a solid plan, well-formed, and looked back at the screen. Dr. Henning didn’t mention they had a few weeks until the fetus could hear, as reading together was a good bonding experience to start to form anyway.

 

“Want to hear the heartbeat?” she asked, though someone coming to her as a planned pregnancy had never said no yet.

 

They both nodded immediately and Dr. Henning flipped the switch so the fast galloping sound filled the room.

 

Waverly closed her eyes to listen properly but was surprised to feel a weight on her chest moments later. She welled up as she opened them and saw Nicole’s head, particularly her ear, pressed against the space above her heart so she could listen to both at the same time.

 

Dr. Henning paused the probe and put it on playback, then quietly made some notes to give them a moment.

 

When Nicole seemed to remember where she was, she straightened up sheepishly, blushing.

 

Waverly just squeezed her hand to say it was okay and Dr. Henning made no comment, just transitioned easily back into the moment and went through a few questions with Waverly to see how she was getting on.

 

Everything was positive and they walked out of the doctor’s office with Waverly clutching a brown envelope with pictures and a DVD recording.

 

As they passed by the bathrooms on the way out, Waverly suddenly yanked Nicole’s hand and dragged her inside. No one else was in there and each stall door was open, which Waverly checked before leaving the envelope down safely at the sink and launching herself at Nicole’s lips.

 

Waverly was ecstatic and overcome and kinda still a little mad at Nicole (she asked the doctor if she _washed her hands!)_

 

She broke the kiss and lightly slapped her hands against Nicole’s chest.

 

Nicole held up her hands defensively.

 

“Whoa Waves, mixed signals.”

 

“You are the most ridiculous, sometimes most infuriating woman on the entire planet,” Waverly espoused in a tone that should have borne frustration, but didn’t.

 

Her fingertips lifted from Nicole’s chest and tenderly held her face, either side of her jawline. Her tone and eyes softened simultaneously.

 

 “And our baby is _the luckiest_ to have you as her mother.”

 

Nicole stood, dumbfounded by the admission, but that was okay because Waverly had more to say.

 

“Your name means ‘victory of the people’, did you know that?”

 

Nicole blinked several times and finally shook her head.

 

“No, I didn’t.”

 

“Well it does,” Waverly replied quickly, “I’m fluent in Greek, you can trust me.”

 

“I do,” Nicole whispered.

 

Waverly’s hands dropped to Nicole’s shoulders and rubbed there.

 

“I think our people would agree. About you being a victory. Our town and our family.”

 

“Waverly I—” Nicole started to reply, overwhelmed, but Waverly put a finger on her lips to stop her.

 

“Shush I’m making an impassioned speech,” she said insistently but also overflowing with so much pure love, “You protect us and take care of us and you make us better every day. You make _me_ better. You are a _win_ for us all and you won my heart so easily just by being you.”

 

She paused to take a breath and shook her head to herself to compose herself.

 

“And that’s why I want our—”

 

It didn’t work, she began to well up.

 

“Our daughter…” she said, her voice finally cracking and the tears starting to spill at the first utterance of that word, “Our daughter’s middle name to be Victoria, after her beautiful, brave and strong Mommy.”

 

Nicole remained stoically still, but her eyes did glaze over and when she closed them, a single tear fell from either side.

 

Waverly brushed both of them away with her thumbs, then tucked herself in under Nicole’s chin in an embrace.

 

“Would that be okay?” she asked, through a shaking laugh.

 

“Yes,” Nicole cracked out, kissing the parting of Waverly’s hair, “I love you so much, Waverly.”

 

She wrapped her arms tightly around her wife, who turned her head in and pressed a kiss to Nicole’s neck. Waverly could feel Nicole’s heart thumping and gently tugged aside her shirt to place a kiss above it.

 

She slowly lifted her gaze to Nicole’s, who was a bit of a sniffling mess but had never looked so vulnerably beautiful.

 

She placed a finger on Nicole’s chin and tilted it down.

 

She leaned up and pressed her lips to Nicole’s, feeling their gentle quiver warm her from touch to toe. It was supposed to be tender but her tongue didn’t have the neural capacity to identify emotion and started to slip between Nicole’s lips.

 

The door swung open then and a woman, more visibly pregnant than Waverly, hurried in. They sprung apart, cheeks red, but the woman just held her hands up, indifferent.

 

“Ladies, I really don’t care what you get up to, I just want to pee.”

 

She marched past them into a stall and both Nicole and Waverly pursed their lips to stop a laugh and shared a look of shared mirth and mutual adoration.

 

Waverly motioned over her shoulder with a renewed uncomfortable bounce in her step.

 

“Actually, I really gotta…”

 

“Go, go,” Nicole encouraged and went to splash her face while Waverly hurried off into a stall.

 

She patted her face dry with a paper towel and smiled to herself in the mirror that one of the best moments of her life was accompanied by a soundtrack of two women peeing furiously.

 

Waverly finished up, washed her hands and tucked the precious print-outs back into her purse. They walked out back into the parking lot and to the car.

 

“Nicole?” Waverly asked, leaning herself into her wife’s side, with an arm around her waist, “We’re paying for another one of those 4D scans for the next one too.”

 

Nicole wrapped the arm Waverly was leaning against around her wife’s shoulders.

 

“Already planning the overtime, baby.”

 


	11. Chapter 11

 “I wish I didn’t have to go to work.”

 

“Work?” Nicole asked, trying and failing to hide her disappointed tone, “I thought we were going home so I could pull off that sweater.”

 

She grinned across the car and Waverly could only return it, albeit apologetically.

 

“I’m so sorry, I have BBD translations to work on. You know how pissy they get. Hmm, I wonder what the secret government task force company line is on maternity leave.”

 

“It’s ‘we saved their butts and they came crawling back so put up and shut up’,” Nicole answered sternly but in an almost disconcertingly cheery voice, “Also known as the ‘don’t fuck with us again’ clause.”

 

Waverly reached over and ran some of Nicole’s curls through her fingers.

 

“God you’re sexy,” she said in a husky voice, “I’m feeling warm but I’m keeping this sweater on just so you _can_ take it off later.”

 

Her fingertips brushed against the nape of Nicole’s neck and she could feel the goosebumps that came up in response.

 

“Don’t start that again, baby, I really would crash the car this time,” Nicole warned softly.

 

Waverly relented but kept her hand on Nicole’s elbow for the contact.

 

They arrived at the Sheriff’s department and Nicole walked Waverly inside to the Black Badge subdivision. There was a risk an officer would come out and drag her into work, but she couldn’t bear parting with her wife until she absolutely had to.

 

They stopped outside the (always) closed door; Waverly with her back against the door and Nicole leaning into her with her arm above Waverly’s head, like a jock hitting on a cheerleader against a locker.

 

Waverly loved when Nicole towered over her like that. It should feel intimidating but it just made her feel safe and admittedly, a little turned on. Except instead of a little, it was a lot.

 

Waverly was so distracted by the alluring pull of Nicole’s all-encompassing presence, it took her a moment to realize words were coming out of the lips she was staring at.

 

“What?” she asked, then glanced away to break the spell, “I mean, sorry?”

 

“I said I think I saw a little bit of an Earp nose,” Nicole repeated quietly, “Cute as a button.”

 

Appropriately, the tip of Waverly’s nose turned red.

 

“I guess it’s not the worst feature she could inherit.”

 

Nicole reached out and brushed some hair from Waverly’s brow, letting her hand fall away from her wife’s face gently.

 

“I hope she gets your eyes and I hope she gets your smile but most of all I hope she gets your heart,” she said, her brown eyes deep with emotion. “The world could use a few more Waverly Haught-Earp hearts.”

 

It was useless; Waverly was under that spell all over again. She gazed lovingly into Nicole’s eyes, who stared right back the same way. They had about five whole seconds in peace before the distinctive sound of Wynonna’s boots and sloshing coffee came from down the hall.

 

“Did my kid do something cute?”

 

Gazes broken, they both looked over in annoyance at Wynonna, who embraced it without animosity.

 

“You two only smile like that if Alice did something cute or you’re making eyes at each other…and my stomach is hoping it’s the former. It’s bad enough I have to endure it at home.”

 

She stepped through to the BBD wing and Waverly and Nicole followed in, closing the door when Dolls gave them the eye through the glass windows. He was conversing with Doc about some pendant they’d been sent to analyze.

 

“Neither actually,” Waverly said, a smile in her voice.

 

She looked to Nicole, question in her eyes. Nicole understood and smiled back. She nodded that it was okay with her.

 

Waverly tucked a piece of hair behind her ear nervously and reached for Nicole’s hand. Nicole squeezed it and Waverly’s face bloomed into joy.

 

“We were talking about Alice's…cousin.”

 

They watched as confusion rippled over Wynonna’s face.

 

“Wait. Are you telling me…”

 

Waverly nodded excitedly and opened her mouth to speak, but Wynonna got there first, slamming her coffee mug on the table.

 

“Willa had a secret child?!”

 

Waverly did a double-take and Nicole face-palmed herself.

 

“No you nincompoop, Waverly is pregnant!”

 

“Waverly is what?!” Wynonna asked in disbelief.

 

Waverly lifted her sweater and showed off her little bump proudly.

 

Nicole’s shout brought Doc and Dolls in, but neither seemed too surprised.

 

Wynonna on the other hand had enough for all of them. She threw her hands up at the neutral expression on the men’s faces.

 

“There is a distinct lack of shock in this room.”

 

Doc and Dolls looked at each other and shrugged. Wynonna looked exasperated and a little bit hurt.

 

“Am I the only one that didn’t know?!”

 

Doc smiled at Waverly.

 

“Well I did suspect she might be with child when I saw her consuming that pint of ice cream with a pickle as her utensil,” he drawled, mustache twitching in a smirk, “For breakfast.”

 

Waverly blushed and Doc removed his hat respectfully.

 

“Congratulations.”

 

Jeremy appeared from the lab, carrying a test tube that contained something green and bubbling and wearing large over-ear headphones. He dropped them around his neck as he entered the scene.

 

“What’s happening?”

 

“Did you know too?” Wynonna exclaimed.

 

“What?” Jeremy asked, then noticed Waverly showing off her bump, “Oh, that wayhaught are preggo? Sure. Duh. Were you trying to hide it too? You guys really aren’t great at that.”

 

“I thought we were being a _little_ covert,” Waverly remarked.

 

Jeremy shrugged.

 

“I noticed your, uh, physical expression of hormonal imbalance didn't happen on the three days my app said it would...and it didn't just last three days.”

 

Waverly’s eyes widened.

 

“You track my period??”

 

“I try not to think about it in those terms,” Jeremy replied resolutely.

 

“You TRACK my period!?” Waverly repeated, more alarmed.

 

“Not just yours,” Jeremy replied quickly, as if that helped, then held up his one free hand defensively with the stares he got back, “How else am I supposed to know when to stock extra chocolate in the fridge?”

 

“Always, Jeremy,” Doc advised sagely, “Always.”

 

“Creepy menstrual flow stalking aside,” Wynonna cut in, still stunned by the news, “ _Everyone_? Dolls?”

 

Dolls just leaned against the nearest desk, arms folded lightly over her chest.

 

“Donuts.”

 

Wynonna spun around to Waverly, a look of realization on her face.

 

“ _That’s_ what that was about!”

 

“Guess we’re not as sneaky as we thought we were, baby,” Nicole commented lovingly.

 

Wynonna remained in a state of being mind-blown for a moment, then sank into the nearest high stool.

 

“So we're going to have a crying baby in the house?”

 

Waverly’s mouth hung open in shock that _this_ was one of her sister’s first reactions.

 

“We moved in with you to help you raise your baby and that’s all you have to say?!”

 

“Yeah but she came all cute and pint-sized and able to be bribed with a Popsicle,” Wynonna replied, not frowning but not quite smiling either.

 

“Well this one will probably be able to be bribed with boob,” Waverly replied indignantly.

 

Wynonna finally grinned.

 

“Hey, at least we know it’s really Haught’s kid!”

 

She held a hand-up for a high five, which Waverly refused to complete, so Wynonna offered it to the room. Jeremy ran up and took it, nearly spilling his green mixture in the process.

 

“Yeck!” Wynonna said, backing away.

 

Waverly threw her hands down and made a noise of frustration, exposing her really quite apparent baby bump once again as the material bunched at the sides.

 

“You really didn’t know?” Jeremy asked Wynonna, making awkward motions around his own midsection.

 

Waverly tugged her sweater down self-consciously and Wynonna shrugged.

 

“I thought it was ice cream! She’s been eating a lot of it.”

 

“She is neither a Ben or a Jerry, thank you very much,” Waverly said with a huff.

 

Wynonna stood up sharply, her face slowly lighting up.

 

“It’s a girl? We’re having a girl?”

 

Waverly’s smile blossomed at the phrasing.

 

“Yes Wynonna, we’re having a girl,” she said softly.

 

Wynonna threw her hands up in victory and suddenly hug-tackled and sister and sister-in-law all once.

 

“We’re having a girl!” she cheered, throwing an arm around them both, “I’ll drink to that! Shots on me? Well, on Doc.”

 

She winked at Doc, who just smiled amiably.

 

“Not you obviously,” she said, nudging Waverly’s hip.

 

“Shorty’s isn’t even open yet,” Waverly replied level-headedly, but was internally thrilled by Wynonna’s happy, if delayed, reaction.

 

“Oh man, if only we knew the owner or the manager or something,” Wynonna replied, overly sarcastic.

 

“Wynonna, it’s 2 pm and Alice finishes school in an hour,” Nicole reasoned.

 

Wynonna brightened.

 

“So we have an hour!”

 

Nicole rolled her eyes but Waverly was secretly delighted. She’d hated keeping the secret from her sister, even though she’d been the one to insist on it. She’d also worried Wynonna wouldn’t react well, given how difficult and ultimately heart-breaking her own pregnancy had been. That’s why that first reaction had hit her so hard, but seeing her now, just as excited as they were was a joy.

 

“Just an hour, baby,” Waverly said to Nicole, clinging onto her wife’s arm, “Come on, we just told everyone about the baby and you actually have the afternoon off.”

 

“You don’t,” Nicole replied.

 

“I’ll handle work,” Dolls replied chivalrously.

 

“Yeah, Dolls will stay here with the wife and the rest of us normal people can go out,” Wynonna replied cheerfully.

 

“Normal is a stretch,” Waverly offered.

 

Dolls cracked a smile for the couple.

 

“I never did offer proper congratulations.”

 

Wynonna scoffed.

 

“You get congratulations, I got people freaking out and running away.”

 

“Aww Wynonna, you can’t help your face,” Nicole teased and Wynonna looked somewhere between offended and amused, with a little bit of respect thrown in.

 

Sans Dolls they walked over to Shorty’s. Waverly let them in and moved on autopilot to start pouring drinks.

 

Nicole leaned over the bar and smiled watched her, remembering their first meeting which seemed like so long ago and yesterday all at once.

 

“I’m guessing there’s still no chance of a cappuccino?”

 

Waverly finished taking down some shot glasses and held Nicole’s arm across the bar.

 

“You know I’m the boss now, I could make it happen,” she said with her winning smile, “Not this second, but I could get a coffee machine in.”

 

“Just for me?” Nicole asked perkily.

  
“Just for you,” Waverly confirmed sweetly, then her nose scrunched, “But if Doc asks it’s to cater to the drive-through tourists.”

 

Nicole pulled her hand down just enough to play with Waverly’s fingers.

 

“I’m sorry I blurted out the big reveal.”

 

Waverly smiled easily, she didn’t mind at all.

 

“You look so cute today, I’ll just have to forgive you.”

 

She booped Nicole’s nose, then went off to pour the drinks when Wynonna called out for them.

 

Wynonna stood up on the table and lifted her shot glass.

 

“To not having to push this one out!”

 

Waverly snuck Nicole a shot glass with water so Wynonna wouldn’t tease her, which Nicole both appreciated and blushed at. She downed it before she was questioned and took a seat beside Jeremy while Waverly was caught up with questions from Wynonna.

 

“Just so you know, it’s cool you didn’t ask me to be the donor,” Jeremy said, fidgeting with the zipper on his jacket, “I mean, we all finally have a solid thing going and you wouldn’t want to mess that up, right?”

 

Nicole stared blankly at him, still not quite over the other revelation of the afternoon.

 

“Stop tracking our periods, Jeremy.”

 

She stood up to go to the bathroom and Jeremy called after her.

 

“People have sold these kinds of apps for millions of dollars! It syncs with Amazon to send supplies and has a Netflix rom-com recommendation list!”

 

“In my day we used a more reliable method than all of these al-go-rhythms and applications,” Doc said coolly.

 

Jeremy turned his head to look at him.

  
“What?”

 

“Common sense,” Doc answered with a pointed look.

 

Jeremy smiled awkwardly and downed his shot.

 

“If you asked Thomas Paine, he’d say common sense is having another one of these together,” he joked, then blurted when Doc just arched an eyebrow, “I have a boyfriend now!”

 

Doc seemed confused but Waverly saved Jeremy from further embarrassment by sliding along to booth to sit beside him.

 

“You have a boyfriend and I have a baby,” she said, clutching his arm warmly, “We have some catching up to do.”

 

Jeremy smiled in relief and nodded.

 

Nicole came out of the bathroom and got chatting to Doc, who expressed his congratulations again.

 

“Thank you,” Nicole replied with a nervous smile, “I’m still wrapping my head around it, really. It’s exciting and terrifying all at once. Well, you know what I mean.”

 

Doc removed his hat and held it to his chest.

 

“You have nothing to be worried about, Sheriff,” he said with a softness he didn’t always display, “You already do a damn fine job in raising a child.”

 

The reverence surprised Nicole, who smiled humbly.

 

“Thank you, Henry.”

 

Doc nodded once and placed his hat back on his head.

 

“I do hope you know how mighty you are appreciated. I know Wynonna won’t say it, so I will. Without you and Waverly I think we’d find ourselves in a fine mess.”

 

Nicole didn’t need to validated verbally; she loved Alice and had done since the moment they’d met. She’d stayed strong for Waverly and ultimately Wynonna too, but her heart had broken just as much and she’d fought just as hard to bring that little girl back to their family.

 

To know her efforts were noticed; that structuring her day to accommodate school runs, that limiting her free time to be available to babysit, that helping with homework and reading stories every night and making sure the peas never ever touched the carrots were appreciated was nice to hear but the real validation was watching Alice becoming the little person she was and knowing she had a hand in it. Any time she felt scared about having the baby with Waverly, she thought of that feeling and knew they’d be okay.

 

After a little while passed, Nicole approached Waverly again, who was lapping up the attention she was getting, deservedly so after the difficult months of trying, failing, succeeding and then dealing with the consequences of pregnancy, all under the radar.

 

“Baby, I’m going to go get Alice and bring her home. Doc’s going to swing by when he finishes up some business and I’ll come back to collect you guys okay?”

 

Waverly smiled and nodded that that was fine and Nicole kissed the top of her head on the way back. Jeremy was called back to the lab when Dolls called to say his green goo was turning orange and putrid, leaving the Earp sisters alone in the closed bar; one merry on schnapps and one merry on life.

 

“My babygirl is having a baby girl,” Wynonna mused thoughtfully, an arm swung loosely around Waverly’s shoulders, “I can’t believe you’re the new big Mama in town now.”

 

“Don’t call me that,” Waverly said with a bristle.

 

“Big?” Wynona asked with a creased brow.

 

“Mama,” Waverly qualified, exasperated, “Not exactly the best associations.”

 

“So make better ones,” Wynonna replied with a ‘duh’ face, “Take it from someone who spent a decade running away from ‘bad associations’.”

 

Waverly leaned her head back against the wall and glanced to the side for a few moments, before turning back to Wynonna.

 

“What does giving birth feel like?”

 

Wynonna held her hands in front of her like she was about to call a huddle on a football field.

 

“Okay, so imagine…a real, live human baby is trying to rip itself from your vagina.”

 

Waverly rolled her eyes.

 

“Gee, thanks, Wynonna, that’s super helpful.”

 

Some sisterly bonding and an annoying amount of stomach-poking later (Wynonna found it too amusing that finally had better abs of the two), Nicole returned to collect them, just as the bartender on duty arrived to open up the already opened bar.

 

Waverly spoke briefly with her while Nicole took Wynonna out to the car. Wynonna sat in the back but as soon as Nicole sat into the driver’s side, Wynonna reached around and loosely held her hands around Nicole’s neck.

 

“You knocked up my sister. Prepare to die.”

 

She playfully shook until Waverly came out and got in the passenger seat.

 

“Wynonna, why are you choking my wife?” Waverly asked casually as she buckled up.

 

“In-law bonding,” Wynonna replied easily, using her foot as leverage to throw herself back into the seat, “Hey when are you gonna tell the kid about the ripple?”

 

Nicole gently rubbed her neck, while Waverly arched an eyebrow through the rearview mirror.

 

Wynonna threw her hands up.

 

“C’mon…a ripple? A baby Wave?”

 

Nicole smirked and Waverly grinned too but didn’t give Wynonna the satisfaction of seeing it.

 

“Peanut,” Nicole corrected, “We’re calling her peanut.”

 

“Small and salty,” Wynonna nodded, “It’s nice she takes after both of you already.”

 

“What do you guys think?” Waverly continued, “About telling Alice?”

 

“I read once family knows it’s good to tell them so they don’t find out by accident,” Nicole replied, “And we’re past the first trimester and our tests came back safe, so the major risk factors are covered. Wynonna?”

 

Wynonna leaned between the seats.

 

“I say tell her,” she said, doing a finger gun, “She’s smart. Like her…me. She’d figure it out soon anyway.”

 

Waverly and Nicole shared a look.

 

“Yes, Wynonna,” Waverly replied wryly, “You’re so on the ball.”

 

They got back to the homestead where Doc was teaching Alice poker and Wynonna enthusiastically joined in, to fleece him together.

 

After dinner, when Doc had headed back to the bar and Alice had been given an extra-large bowl of ice-cream, the three women surrounded her on the couches while she sat on the floor, eating her ice-cream and playing on her tablet.

 

When she realized she was surrounded, she looked up dubiously.

 

“Didn’t do it.”

 

“Didn’t do what?” Nicole asked brow creased.

 

“Never speak to the 5-0 unless they promise immunity,” Wynonna advised seriously.

 

“Anyway,” Waverly interjected, “You’re not in trouble. We want to tell you something exciting.”

 

Alice looked up at them expectantly and Waverly and Nicole suddenly shared a concerned look. They’d both read all the books but never actually discussed how to go about this.

 

“You see, honey…”

 

“Well, how it is, is…”

 

“There’s…well…see, me and Auntie Wave we love each other so much…”

 

“And we love you too!”

 

“Yes! And you’re such a cool little kid, we thought, hey we should get us one of those.”

 

“Not that you’re not enough!”

 

“No way!”

 

“You’re the best.”

 

“The BEST.”

 

“So we wanted to add to that.”

 

“And nothing will change.”

  
“Well, some stuff will change.”

“But not how we feel or being a family, we’ll still be a family.”

 

“Always.”

 

“Y’know?”

Wynonna watched the exchange move back and forth and admired the placating look on her daughter’s clueless face. She didn’t learn that patience from her.

 

Waverly and Nicole were looking at her with such earnest, she reined in making fun of them. For now.

 

“Stellar job,” she said, slapping her hands against her knees and leaning forward to get Alice’s attention, “Auntie Nicole and Auntie Wave are having a baby.”

 

“Oh,” Alice said with an easy understanding, “Is it a boy or a girl?”

 

“We’re pretty sure it’s a girl,” Nicole chuckled nervously.

 

“That’s cool, boys are stinky,” Alice decided resolutely, then scooted herself forward to color, “Does Gus have her? Is she coming soon?”

 

“Well right now she’s growing in my tummy,” Waverly supplied, and showed her belly for confirmation, “But when she’s ready she’ll come out and live with us. She’ll be your cousin.”

 

“What’s a cousin?” Alice asked curiously.

 

“Well…” Nicole ventured, wondering how to explain the details of genetic lineage to a five year old, “When your auntie has a baby, the baby is your cousin.”

 

“And you’ll be her only cousin in the whole world,” Waverly added in.

 

Alice’s eyes suddenly lit up.

 

“I will?”

 

“Yeah, kid,” Wynonna replied, even her heart melting at the sweet reaction, “And if cousins are anything like little sisters you can boss ‘em around and get them to do your bidding!”

 

Waverly narrowed her eyes and Wynonna winked across the table at her.

 

“Cousins sound cool,” Alice replied, giggling just at Wynonna’s tone even if she didn’t understand all the words.

 

“Do you have any questions?” Waverly asked, relieved the conversation went well.

 

“Will you still read me stories and do the voices?” Alice asked without looking up.

 

“Of course we will,” Nicole promised.

 

Alice picked up a pink pencil.

 

“I don’t gotta share my room?”

 

Waverly smiled softly.

 

“No, you get to keep your room.”

 

“Okay,” Alice answered without any issue, “Will she play with me?”

  
“When she’s old enough, yeah!” Nicole encouraged, “We can all play together.”

“Okay,” Alice replied again, happily, “We haveta get her a baby hat, Auntie Nicole! And she can come on nee naw rides with us.”

 

Nicole leaned over, a big smile on her face when she looked at the drawing.

 

“Are you drawing her? Hey, do you wanna see some photos from inside Auntie Wave’s belly?”

 

Alice replied enthusiastically, as did Wynonna so Waverly went and got the DVD to play for them.

 

Both Alice and Wynonna sat at Saturday-morning-cartoon distance, just as excited.

 

“That’s rad!” Wynonna commented, feeling a little guilty that she hadn’t appreciated her scan pictures enough, “Check out that hand!”

 

“She’s sucking her thumb!” Nicole replied like a big kid, coming to sit with them, just inches from the screen, “Isn’t she the cutest?”

 

“Almost,” Wynonna replied, wrapping her arms around Alice and dropping a kiss on her head.

 

Waverly sat behind them on the couch, watching her three favorite girls gush and giggle over her newest favorite girl. She didn’t think her heart could swell any larger, but every time Alice jumped up excitedly and pointed at a part of the still-forming features that she recognized or Wynonna teased Nicole about having a bossy baby, it just filled with new love.

 

Their child hadn’t even made an appearance yet and she was already strengthening their bond as a family. If Alice hadn’t been right there, she may have burst into tears.

 

“Where do babies come from?” Alice suddenly asked, pulling Waverly out of her thoughts with a bang.

 

“Turkey basters,” Wynonna replied deadpan, “At least this one did. You were more of a wild ride.”

 

Nicole opened her mouth to argue, but couldn’t.

 

“Come to us if you have any more questions, okay sweetheart?” Waverly said quickly.

 

Alice looked down at her bowl of ice-cream, forgotten and melted from the excitement.

 

“Can I have more ice-cream?” she asked sweetly.

 

Waverly was usually the only one of them who fought the cutesy eyes for extra sweets, but Alice had caught her in far too much of an emotional state.

 

“Of course you can!”

 

She emptied and refilled the bowl and delivered it back to Alice, who snuggled up with Wynonna on the couch with the video on a loop in the background.

 

Nicole approached Waverly a few feet away and settled her hands on her wife’s waist.

 

“I have a question,” she said in a soft, seductive voice, “Can we go upstairs so I can finally pull off that sweater?”

 

Waverly just smiled and crossed her wrists behind Nicole’s neck.

 

She hoped Nicole took off a lot more than that.

 

They kissed and Nicole’s hands settled on Waverly’s waist, pulling them together so their hips knocked together.

 

“Are you serious?” Wynonna asked derisively, “Right in front of the salad of my loins?”

 

Alice wasn’t even paying attention, but Wynonna remained disgusted.

 

“We’re having an early night,” Waverly said in a sing-song voice and an excited smile on her face.

 

“Goodnight Alice. Goodnight Wynonna,” Nicole added before they hurriedly ascended the stairs together.

 

Moments later there was a soft thud from upstairs.

 

“Are Auntie Nicole and Auntie Wave having a pillow fight again?” Alice asked, looking up at her mother with big eyes.

 

“Yep,” Wynonna nodded once.

 

“How come I can neva’ play?” Alice asked, more annoyed than sad.

 

Wynonna glanced around for a few moments, then jumped up and grabbed the nearest couch cushion.

 

“Why have a pillow fight when you can have a pillow fort? We can even sleep in it!”

 

Alice squealed excitedly and almost knocked her empty bowl over.

 

And so they made a fort, which Wynonna made sure was extra padded.

 

Not for the first time protecting her little girl's ears from her babygirl's antics.


	12. Chapter 12

Nicole walked around the empty squad room, mostly for something to do.

 

She hadn’t had to pull night duty in a while, a long while, but it was an easy extra few bucks when she needed it. Even if it was a little boring.

 

Her officers didn’t like it much though since she actually made them go out and patrol.

 

On her second lap, her ears picked up a rustling at the other end of the station. Her hand went to her gun instinctively and she crept across the hall towards the break room.

 

“Kyle? Ava?” she called cautiously, “You guys back from that domestic on Southern Meadow already?”

 

When there was no response, Nicole wrapped her hand around the grip of her gun but kept it holstered.

 

“Hey if someone is in the break room, just shout, I’m not going to chew you out!”

 

There was definite rustling but no identification.

 

“I swear to god if you’re about to make me pull a gun on one of my own officers I _will_ chew you out and put you on desk duty too!”

 

Nicole burst through the door and was half a second from pulling her gun when she realized it was Jeremy in there, wearing his thick headphones and dancing around as he stirred his Cup Noodles, oblivious that she was there.

 

“Jeremy!”

 

Jeremy jumped as he turned and saw Nicole there, propelling his Styrofoam cup forward so the hot contents spilled all over the floor. Nicole took a step at the same time and promptly slipped, tripping over her legs.

 

The music in Jeremy’s ears abruptly stopped as he ripped the headphones off.

 

“Shit! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

 

He bent down to give Nicole a hand, but she just scooted away, holding her right knee up to her body.

 

“What are you doing here this late?”

 

Jeremy scurried around, finding something to clean up his mess with.

 

“I’ve been spending afternoons in the city and catching up at work at night,” he explained, internally cursing how slippery the noodles were, “An egg exploded in our microwave so I was using this one.”

 

“An egg?” Nicole questioned, though immediately regretted it.

 

“The cross spawn of a—”

 

“I don’t need the details,” Nicole interjected quickly.

 

Jeremy finished cleaning up and noticed Nicole hadn’t stood up yet and was palpating her ankle.

 

“Are you hurt?”

 

Nicole circulated her ankle, stretching the shock of the fall from it.

 

“It’s fine. I just need to rest it a minute. It’s an old injury.”

 

“Basketball?” Jeremy questioned.

 

“Couch-jumping,” Nicole corrected.

 

Jeremy’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t ask anymore. He got an ice pack from the freezer, wrapped it and handed it to her.

 

“Sorry, again.”

 

He reached into his front lab coat pocket and produced a short glass bottle of clear liquid, label obstructed.

 

“This might take the sting out,” he said, then offered by way of an explanation, “Sometimes you need a little liquid courage before you try to release the cross-spawn of—”

 

Nicole held a hand up to stop him.

 

“Again. Unnecessary,” she pleaded, “And I can’t, I’m on duty.”

 

Jeremy grinned.

 

“You never broke a rule?”

 

Nicole sighed.

 

“Before I was a sheriff. And a wife. And a soon-to-be mother.”

 

“Sounds to me like this might be one of the last chances you get,” Jeremy argued good-naturedly.

 

Nicole was going to be stuck on the floor for a minute or two, so relented.

 

“Is it good stuff?”

 

Jeremy thrust the bottle forward.

 

“Top shelf.”

 

Jeremy would never know why Nicole grinned quite so hard.

 

She took the bottle and a tiny sip, not even enjoying the burn on the back of her throat that much. She handed it back to Jeremy, who had sat down next to her; both now leaning back against the bar in the middle of the break room.

 

Jeremy took a swig, then held the bottle between his knees when Nicole declined any more.

 

He was about to ask if he could do anything else to help her ankle when Nicole turned her head to look at him.

 

“Did you really want to be our donor?”

 

Jeremy seemed surprised by the question and averted his gaze at first.

 

“I do have good genes. I know, I tested them,” he joked, then paused for a few moments before continuing, “But I think I’d like a more full-time role when I have a family.”

 

“When?” Nicole asked softly; it wasn’t something she’d ever heard him talk about.

 

Jeremy shrugged one shoulder.

 

“Getting older. Starting to think about it.”

 

Nicole nodded.

 

“It’s good to know what you want,” she said before tacking on, “I heard you had a new man.”

 

Jeremy smiled bashfully, but it faltered.

 

“He’s great. But he lives in the city. Which is the only way to find someone, anyway. There are zero gays in Purgatory.”

 

Nicole gestured to herself.

 

“Uhh…”

 

“We can’t all just saunter in and turn the local straights,” Jeremy replied with a sigh, “Believe me, I tried.”

 

“That is _not_ what happened,” Nicole retorted.

 

“Come on, it was easy for you. You had the hot cop thing going on,” Jeremy argued, “You're literally a Haught cop.”

 

Nicole threw her eyes to heaven.

 

“Well if you really think you’re missing out on opportunities, you could always move to the city.”

 

Jeremy shook his head.

 

“I love this job. And the hazard pay is nice.”

 

“It’s only an hour away,” Nicole reasoned, “Sure it’s a commute, but it’s not impossible. You’re probably doing it now anyway if you’re going to see this guy regularly.”

 

Jeremy considered it for a few moments.

 

“I don’t mind driving,” he mused, “I could afford a one-bed in the city. And I could work on my stand-up routine in traffic.”

 

“You do stand-up?” Nicole asked, surprised.

 

Jeremy blushed.

 

“This guy is into nerdy humor it so I tried to impress him at an open mic night, but I liked it, so now we make it a regular thing.”

 

His head banged lightly against the frame behind them.

 

“I have this bit about SyFy having a big red cancel button in the president's office, but he thinks it's a panic button and presses it any time an actual science fiction show comes across his desk.”

 

“I don't watch Syfy,” Nicole replied helplessly.

 

“Oh you should, there's some gems,” Jeremy said encouragingly.

 

Nicole seemed equally confused and amused.

 

“But you're making fun of it.”

 

“I'm allowed to, I'm a fanboy,” Jeremy explained easily.

 

He was pensive for a moment as he thought about everything.

 

“I don’t just love the job,” he said eventually, his eyeline jerking towards Nicole’s, “I love you guys too.”

 

Nicole put her arm around him and nuggied his head like the little brother he was to her.

 

“You’re family, Jer. It’s going to take a little more than the big city for us to stop buggin’ ya.”

 

He smiled until their comradery was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing in the squad room. Nicole could tell by the ring it was her direct line which at this time meant Someone Important was having an emergency.

 

“Duty calls,” she sighed.

 

She eased herself up, with Jeremy’s help, though the twinge in her ankle was gone again. Jeremy took the ice-pack to tidy away.

 

“Hey Nicole,” he said to her retreating back until she turned again. “Thanks.”

 

Nicole smiled and nodded once in acknowledgment.

 

She quickly made her way back to her office, closing the door behind her.

 

“Purgatory Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Haught-Earp speaking.”

 

A voice came down the line, warm and purposefully evocative.

 

“I want to report my wife for being criminally sexy.”

 

Nicole fought the laughter that threatened to bubble. It was indeed Someone _Very_ Important.

 

“And what is the nature of the complaint?” she replied, trying to hide her very-obvious grin from her voice.

 

“She’s not even here and just the thought of her is getting me all hot and bothered and keeping me awake.”

 

Nicole turned in her chair to hide her blush, despite there being no one there to look in.

 

“Waverly,” she said softly, “You really should be sleeping.”

 

“Video chat?” Waverly requested.

 

“Okay,” Nicole agreed and hung up the line.

 

She took her cell phone from the desk drawer and waited a few moments for the video chat to come through.

 

The screen was dark but Waverly was clear; lying in bed with an arm bent above her head. She looked gorgeous to Nicole, but she always did.

 

“Hey, baby.”

 

Waverly sighed.

 

“I miss you. I want to be your wave machine and feel you fall asleep next to me. And the baby misses you. I can tell.”

 

Nicole’s eyes closed. That one hurt like a punch to the gut, even though she knew Waverly hadn’t intended that.

 

“I’ll be home to you both in just a few hours.”

 

“I guess we’ll just have to survive all on our own until then,” Waverly said and Nicole watched her wife’s lower lip protrude into a pout.

 

“I love you, Waverly,” she said softly.

 

There was silence, but Nicole saw the smile rippling on Waverly’s lips.

 

“I love you too, Sheriff.”

 

“Sweet dreams,” Nicole wished upon her wife.

 

She signed off and got on with some paperwork to make the time tick by faster.

 

Eventually ( _finally_ ) it was time to go home and Nicole dragged her tired feet into the cruiser, through the tranquil morning streets and out to the homestead. She had never imagined being married to, and having a family with, Waverly in such a communal space but they all had their groove and she would miss it if they were elsewhere.

 

The house was quiet and so was she as she crept upstairs. Waverly was sleeping, so Nicole silently changed and got into bed. She was so exhausted, she’d forgone any food or shower, but there was something of the utmost important she had to do before going asleep, no matter what.

 

She carefully slid into bed and curled herself up so her head was by Waverly’s ever-growing stomach.

 

The source material was nearby, but she knew the words of the book by heart at this stage.

 

She started to whisper, keeping her head up on an upturned palm while her eyes tried to forcefully close themselves every few seconds.

 

“The words I am saying you hear in your heart, and know that I wish you the very best start. It’s a scrum…scrumptu… _scrumptulous_ world and it’s ready to greet you,” she paused and swallowed a yawn, “And as for myself, well, I can’t wait to meet you.”

 

She stopped but amended herself moments later.

 

“Me and Mama can’t wait to meet you.”

 

She paused with a sleepy laugh.

 

“Whoops, I don’t think she likes being called that. But I do…” she traced the curve of Waverly’s belly without actually touching her, “I think about her eyes lighting up if it's your first word. And how I can call her my Haught mama. If Wynonna doesn’t ruin it first.”

 

She shook her head to herself.

 

“But the name doesn’t matter. Just know you have the best mother growing you in there and I’m going to work really hard at being second best.”

 

“I love you baby girl,” she said softly; half-humming, half-singing her next line, “ _I wanna rock you in my arms all night long_ …”

 

She didn’t want to wake Waverly with a nuzzle, but she did leave a very soft kiss there.

 

“Mommy over and out.”

 

Her hand slid over Waverly’s belly button and she sluggishly pulled herself up to the pillow. It had barely even settled before she was asleep.

 

Beside her, Waverly opened her eyes and smiled at the exchange she’d secretly borne witness to.

 

She thought maybe she’d like to be a Haught mama after all.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Nicole and Wynonna, and then Waverly and Doc all came running towards the school from different directions.

 

They met at the gate and bounded in together, four sets of feet loudly clacking along the floor as they made their way to the nurse’s office.

 

“What happened?” Waverly asked in a concerned rush.

 

Wynonna pushed a fist into her palm.

 

“Who am I pummeling?”

 

“Wynonna, please only threaten the children in private, I get _calls_ ,” Nicole begged.

 

Alice appeared out of the nurse’s office and Doc swooped her up into his arms.

 

“Are you alright, my love?” he asked sweetly.

 

Alice had blood coming out of a gash in her head, some of which was wiped away but lots still fresh.

 

The nurse followed her out but seemed startled.

 

“Oh. There’s four of you.”

 

“Yeah, we’re her parents,” Wynonna replied impatiently, “What happened?!”

 

“She fell over at recess,” the nurse said professionally.

 

“I was chasing a butterfly,” Alice added.

 

“You guys, I think we should make a quick trip to the ER,” Nicole said in a hurried tone.

 

“A _calm_ trip,” Waverly emphasized.

 

“I think that’s wise,” the nurse advised.

 

They all hurried out but when they split in different directions again, Nicole called them back.

 

“She was right in there, I don’t think all four of us should go bundling into the ER shouting,” she said, pushing Wynonna towards Doc and pulling back Waverly, “Waverly and I will go back to work, you two go and let us know.”

 

Doc nodded once and they hurried off to get her into the car and off to the emergency room.

 

Nicole brought Waverly back to the cruiser but didn’t start it up right okay. She reached across and took Waverly’s hand, who was staring out the window, clearly upset.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

The back of Waverly’s head hit the headrest and tears sprang to her eyes.

 

“I just got so scared when they said she was hurt.”

 

Nicole rubbed her fingers along Waverly’s.

 

“I know, baby,” she said softly, “Me too. But it just looks like it’ll need a few stitches.”

 

Waverly nodded quickly.

 

“Hormones,” she excused with watery eyes.

 

Nicole leaned over and pressed a kiss to Waverly’s cheek.

 

“You’re allowed to just feel.”

 

Waverly swiped at her eyes with a laugh.

 

“Be careful or you’ll flip those hormones into something else.”

 

“Oh, I wish baby,” Nicole replied with a laugh, “I have to be in court this afternoon or I’d take you up on that offer. Raincheck?”

 

“Valid 7 days a week,” Waverly replied with a wink that only served to make another tear fall, “I am a mess.”

 

Nicole opened the glove compartment and produced a pack of tissues, which she offered to Waverly.

 

Waverly took it gratefully and dried her eyes. When she was done, Nicole leaned over the center console, took the dirty tissue and kissed Waverly’s lips softly.

 

Waverly felt that spark tingle on her lips and a warmth spread down from her heart to settle in her middle. She felt Nicole cup her cheek, rubbing the skin beneath her thumb tenderly, and continue to kiss her in that way that took her breath away so slowly she didn’t even realize it was gone.

 

Waverly broke their lips the barest crack to get in air from the side. Nicole rested their foreheads together, gently running her nose up the bridge of her wife’s.

 

“Love you,” she whispered, turning her lips in to kiss Waverly’s cheekbone.

 

Waverly almost felt like crying again at just how affectionate and sweet Nicole was being, but since she knew Nicole was doing so to try and stop that reaction, she held it in.

 

Nicole continued holding Waverly’s hand for a few moments while she collected herself.

 

“I called in one of the bartenders to open up. Can you just take me home?” she asked finally, “I’ll get her favorite movie ready and make her favorite dinner.”

 

“Sure, baby,” Nicole agreed, “Don’t overdo it, though.”

 

“I won’t if you stop worrying,” Waverly replied, punctuating the words by poking her wife’s arm, “Mama and baby are just fine.”

 

Nicole slowly smiled.

 

“Mama?”

 

“Trying it out,” Waverly said, rubbing a hand over her bump, “I think I like it. I like…I like having control over it. I like making it a positive.”

 

“Like our name,” Nicole replied.

 

Waverly smiled.

 

“Like our name. I’m Mama Haught-Earp.”

 

“Finest one there is,” Nicole added.

 

Waverly leaned over and kissed Nicole again, stealing it from the corner of her mouth.

 

Nicole tried to hide that she was blushing by driving ahead. Waverly’s little touches always made her feel far sappier than she liked to admit. It didn’t work because Waverly knew her better than anyone and made a game of drawing out those reactions.

 

Nicole dropped Waverly home by way of the grocery store, then returned to the station, quickly filled in Dolls and Jeremy on what was going on and prepared herself for the afternoon.

 

* * *

 

At the homestead, a few hours later, Alice was on her third bowl of mac’n’cheese and Wynonna was watching over her like a hawk.

 

“Are you okay, kiddo? Does your head hurt? Are you dizzy? You’re not going to throw up, are ya?”

 

Alice looked up from the TV and looked at her mother before furrowing her brow, the white bandage sitting there creasing too.

 

“Will I have a scar?”

 

Wynonna came over and sat next to her on the couch. She took a peek at the thankfully very small wound.

 

“Maybe a little one.”

 

Alice’s little face fell and Wynonna pulled her daughter onto her lap.

 

“Hey, don’t worry. Dudes dig ‘em. Chicks too I’m reliably told.”

 

Alice sniffled, her bowl forgotten to snuggle up to Wynonna.

 

“When I fell Timmy Denkros laughed and said I’d have a scar and that scars are ugly on girls.”

 

“Yeah well Timmy Dingus sounds like a bonehead,” Wynonna scoffed.

 

She huffed out a breath.

 

“Okay, you know Auntie Haught Stuff—“

 

“Her name is Auntie Nicole, Nonnee,” Alice interrupted importantly.

 

“Eurgh she turned my kid into a narc,” Wynonna muttered under her breath, “You know how _Nicole_ got hurt being the sheriff and now she has a scar on her stomach?”

 

Alice nodded slowly.

 

“Well, I think that’s the coolest thing about her? Know why?” Wynonna asked and Alice shook her head, “Because it shows how brave she was.”

 

Wynonna pulled up her shirt to show off her stretch marks.

 

“And you see these? I got these when you were a little tiny nugget growing in there. I think those are pretty cool.”

 

She settled her shirt again.

 

“Got some other ones too, but I’ll tell you about those when you’re older. Even Aunty Wave has some.”

 

Alice seemed both surprised and pleased.

 

“You tell this Timmy that he’s just jealous because he’s not cool or brave and he’ll never be able to fight like a girl,” Wynonna continued and held out her hand for a mini fist bump.

 

Alice returned it and ran off to look at her scar in the mirror.

 

“Only look, don’t touch!” Waverly called after her, making Wynonna jump because she hadn’t known she was there.

 

Waverly smiled down at her sister.

 

“That was nice. What you said about Nicole.”

 

Wynonna stood up and began to walk away.

 

“Just making the kid feel better.”

 

“You can just say you love her you know,” Waverly said, crossing her arms loosely on her chest.

 

“My kid? I love my kid,” Wynonna brushed off with a pointed grin.

 

Waverly rolled her eyes and picked up Alice’s bowl to clean.

 

By the time Nicole got home, Alice had made fake scars from her homemade play dough (Waverly had made the latest batch and the colors were even more vibrant than usual) and had them sticking and falling off all over her arms and face.

 

She skidded up to Nicole before she’d even had a chance to close the door.

 

“Hey, Alice!” Nicole greeted, relieved to see her so upbeat, “How are you doing? How’s your—”

 

“Auntie Nicole, can I see your scar?” Alice cut in.

 

From behind, Waverly nodded to go with it.

 

Nicole went to her knees and pulled her police shirt out of her pants. She lifted it up by her hip to show the fading lines and slight dip in her skin.

 

“You got that for being brave.”

 

Nicole welled up, but held it together and pulled Alice into a hug.

 

“And you were very brave today too,” she said, kissing the little girl’s forehead, “I got you the funnies.”

 

Nicole handed over the newspaper she had tucked under her arm. She wasn’t surprised that the Purgatory Evening Gazette still printed a comics page, it was an old-fashioned thing to do, like the town itself, but had been surprised by how much Alice liked them. She figured kids would prefer the more colorful and animated ones on screen, but Alice loved and sometimes even collected them so Nicole picked up the newspaper whenever she saw it.

 

“Thanks, Auntie Nicole.”

 

Alice rushed off to pull the paper apart and find the comics, while Nicole approached Waverly and quickly kissed her in greeting.

 

“How are my girls?”

 

“We are doing just fine,” Waverly replied, far more at ease now that Alice was running around happy and healthy, “How is my lady?”

 

Nicole kissed Waverly again, gently bumping their noses together.

 

“Much better for seeing your gorgeous face.”

 

She kissed her again, then broke apart to go up and change out of her uniform.

 

Waverly went into the kitchen to heat Nicole’s dinner but she didn’t get far before Alice was calling out from where she was sitting on the floor in the living room, pages of newspapers surrounding her.

 

“Auntie Nicole!”

 

“She’ll be down in a few minutes, honey,” Waverly said to her from a few feet away.

 

“No, Auntie Nicole!” Alice insisted, pointing at a scrap of newspaper.

 

Waverly peered over the back of the couch and saw a reprint of Nicole’s official Sheriff Portrait.              

 

“What the French toast?”

 

She moved around, her bump purposefully guiding the way and lifted up the page with Nicole’s picture on it. There was an accompanying article but it was ripped in half.

 

“Fudge nuggets.”

 

She lined up a few pages until two fit together.

 

Her eyes skimmed over the article, talking about the donut shop robbery and the subsequent conviction. Waverly hadn’t even realized the trial had been going on. Finally, she caught Nicole’s name and dropped a finger to orient the words on the page.

 

“The affected Sheriff, Nicole Haught — dagnabbit, will no one ever get her name right? — testified in a victim impact statement delivered today that she believed the assailant let off the shot in a panic and did not intend harm to come to her. The judge took her words under advisement and offered leniency in the sentencing.”

 

She dropped off, stunned. When she heard footsteps on the stairs, she stood up and held the two pieces of paper up.

 

“Why am I reading about this in the paper and not hearing it from my wife?”

 

Nicole recognized her picture and paused, like a deer caught in headlights. Waverly hit her sleeping sister with a cushion.

 

“Wynonna, wake up and watch Alice. Nicole and I need to talk.”

 

Wynonna cast a bleary eye between them and reached for the remote to turn up the television.

 

“Someone’s in trouble.”

 

“You’re in the tha’ paper, Auntie Nicole,” Alice tacked on cheerily and Nicole offered her a little smile in gratitude.

 

Waverly marched over to the kitchen and crossed her arms over her chest.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me _this_ was what you were in court for?”

 

“We’d never talk about anything else if I told you about every time I was in court, baby,” Nicole replied jokingly, trying to ease the tension between them.

 

“This is the man that shot you, Nicole,” Waverly said sternly, her brow set.

 

“Boy,” Nicole corrected quietly, her head down.

 

“What?” Waverly asked, not catching it.

 

“He’s a boy,” Nicole repeated, louder and more clearly, “Who made a colossal mistake that he’s going to spend the next five years paying for because we all failed him. His parents didn’t notice his drug habit growing and we’d arrested him on possession charges before but cut him loose. If I’d spent two minutes looking at his case I could have tried to organize intervention but I passed it off to an officer and it didn’t happen.”

 

Nicole released a ball of fist by her side. Waverly softened and closed the gap between them, gently rubbing her hands off of Nicole’s shoulders and down to her collarbone.

 

”Nicole, this was not your fault.”

 

Nicole looked up to meet Waverly’s gaze.

 

“I thought about how I’d feel if I was his mother. I would want him to own up to his mistakes and I would hope that people offered compassion for his humanity. So that’s what I did.”

 

Waverly blinked twice, slowly, and released a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

 

“I think you just gave me my first lesson in parenting.”

 

Nicole leaned in to rest their foreheads together.

 

“I think you’re the person who taught me that compassion in the first place.”

She put her hand on the side of Waverly’s bump and they mutually leaned in to share a kiss. In the middle of it, they both experienced a strange sensation under Nicole’s hand.

 

“Oh!” Waverly exclaimed suddenly.

  
“Whoa!” Nicole said at the same time, then her eyes widened as much as they possibly could, “Was that?”

 

Waverly’s face pulled much the same expression.

 

“I think!”

 

It happened again and Nicole nodded furiously.

 

“It is!”

 

“Are you two having a stroke over there?” Wynonna called out, her head hanging off the back of the armchair.

 

“The baby is kicking!” Waverly replied excitedly.

 

She thought the first time she felt Nicole inside her had been the most affirming experience of her life, but feeling hers and Nicole’s baby move beneath her skin made her certain that everything before had led up to this unique moment in time because it was _perfection_.

 

Wynonna grabbed Alice and brought her over to feel it.

 

“You used to give me baby fives when you were in my stomach. Wanna try?”

 

She helped Alice put her hand where Nicole’s had been and they all waited in anticipation until, after three long seconds, something poked out against Alice’s hand.

 

They all cheered, even Calamity Jane popped out from one of her usual hiding places to join in on the chorus with some meows. For a few minutes, every girl in that room was filled with joy at the simplest of movements.

 

All four had matching smiles as they made their first interactions with the newest member of the family.


	14. Chapter 14

“Nicole, can you get the door?”

 

Nicole’s feet pounded the stairs so she could answer the ringing doorbell, while Waverly tried to finish getting dressed. She found it harder to express her unique style with her growing stomach and took longer to generally get around these days.

 

“Okay, baby, but can you hurry up? We need to leave soon.”

 

“I’m going as fast as I can Nicole!”

 

Nicole wisely shut up and went to answer the door. An unfamiliar but smiley man was on the other side, holding a non-descript plain brown box.

 

“I have a package for Waverly Earp.”

 

Nicole’s eyes narrowed slightly. Waverly never used her old name any longer and was short with anyone who did.

 

“Who's it from?”

 

“Well I'm not sure, Sheriff,” the man offered cordially, “I'm just the delivery driver and the package has no identifying features.”

 

He held it for Nicole to take, but she didn’t. The man looked a bit confused.

 

“I’m sure it won’t blow up.”

 

Nicole snapped into cop mode and had her gun out and pointed at him in less than three seconds. The man’s eyebrows rose but he remained collected.

 

“If you’d like to refuse delivery Sheriff, it’s not a problem.”

 

There were heavy footsteps on the stairs, then they could be heard scurrying across the floor from behind. Waverly’s head popped out of the door with wide eyes.

 

“Nicole!” she hissed, “It's just the mailman!”

 

She forced Nicole’s gun hand down by her side and smiled politely at the man on the other side.

 

“Hi Edwin, how are the kids?”

 

Edwin nodded politely, while keeping an eye on the gun still aimed in his direction, almost more nervous now that it was aimed somewhere lower.

 

“Um, just fine thank you, Miss Waverly.”

 

“I've never seen him before,” Nicole ventured warily.

 

“I'm covering a colleague’s route this week,” Edwin offered as an explanation, “Usually cover the east side of town.”

 

“He delivers all the mail to Shortys, why the hell do you have your gun pointed at him?” Waverly asked in disbelief.

 

Nicole gestured at him.

 

“He, he used your old name and made a bomb pun!”

 

Edwin glanced down at the delivery labeled and moved his thumb away from where it had partially obscured it.

 

“Waverly _Haught_ -Earp. My apologies.”

 

Waverly glared at Nicole.

 

“People use your old name all the time, _now_ you choose to freak out?! Bad jokes are not a firing offense! Put the gun away!”

 

Nicole holstered her gun with a frown and Waverly quickly signed for the package and smiled apologetically.

 

“I am so sorry Edwin, I’ve been keeping her awake tossing and turning.”

 

She rubbed her bump to indicate and Edwin smiled understandingly.

 

“I think I was out of my mind from exhaustion from bump ‘til age 3.”

 

Waverly briefly hugged him gratefully.

 

“Bring the whole family into Shorty’s for some free wings sometime.”

 

Edwin tipped his hat.

 

“Good day, Mrs. Haught-Earp,” he said pointedly and with a hint of a knowing smile.

 

He left the package inside the door and went back on his way to his van.  Waverly closed the door firmly and put her hands on her hips.

 

“Nicole Haught-Earp, what the hell?”

 

Nicole was already looking chastised, but Waverly amped up the ‘trouble’.

 

“I thought it went without saying that ‘shooting anybody for me’ does not include the non-possessed, non-demonic, once-saved-a-bee mailman!”

 

“How did he save a bee?” Nicole asked shiftily.

 

“He put sugar water on a spoon, Nicole!” Waverly exclaimed, “What were you thinking?”

 

“It was a suspicious package, I was merely handling it suspiciously,” Nicole replied with a definitive nod of her head.

 

Waverly tore the tape off the box and started pulling out the contents.

 

“It's baby stuff! It’s nothing but baby clothes and Styrofoam packaging!”

 

Nicole had a quick look through and held up a tiny pair of socks, no bigger than her pinky finger, with a smile.

 

“Look how teeny these socks are.”

 

“Don't change the subject, Nicole,” Waverly replied sternly, though her eyes did take in the cuteness of what her wife was holding up, “Okay yes, the socks are very teeny, but it doesn't justify the town sheriff pulling her gun on a man doing his job!”

 

Nicole closed her eyes for a moment and collected herself. When she opened them, Waverly noticed they were slightly glassy.

 

“We almost lost each other…too many times. We were always looking over our shoulder,” she started, letting out a small, almost bitter laugh, “And being Sheriff was such a relief because it meant I had as much control as I could to protect our family. And I did, and we did; we fought and we came out the other side.”

 

She shook her head to herself.

 

“But you still get aggressive creeps hitting on you in Shortys and Alice still falls over in the playground and Wynonna still rides that bike way too fast and I _worry_.”

 

She took in and exhaled a shaky breath.

 

“So, for now at least, I have some power to protect our little girl and I…I can’t apologize for wanting to do that. I can’t apologize for those instincts, even if they’re going to get me in trouble from time to time because if they save her even once, it’s worth it.”

 

Waverly’s features softened as Nicole spoke and she ended up rubbing her wife’s arm either side to comfort her. She finally held Nicole’s face under her fingers and looked at her wife with that kind of exasperated tenderness only being in love could bring.

 

“God help any boy that tries to break her heart.”

 

“Hey, don't have such low expectations,” Nicole replied, a smile lighting up her face, “She might not be straight.”

 

“Nicole, we will love her even if she’s straight,” Waverly insisted with a grin.

 

“As long as she doesn’t have her Mama’s taste in men,” Nicole muttered in reply.

 

Waverly’s mouth hung open for a moment and she lightly slapped Nicole’s arm, then took a handful of her wife’s shirt on that spot and pulled her in for a kiss.

 

“I was saving up my taste to pick an incredible woman.”

 

Her hands slid behind Nicole’s neck to play with the ends of her hair.

 

“Keep the gun for the real baddies. Or you'll bankrupt Shorty's. And word will go around that I married a nut.”

 

“Does that make you a pea?” Nicole asked cheerfully.

 

Waverly’s brow creased in confusion.

 

“What?”

 

Nicole rubbed Waverly’s belly.

 

“Because that's how we made our little pea-nut,” she said in a sing-song voice.

 

Waverly rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smile that pulled on her lips.

 

“You’re so lucky you’re cute.”

 

She dropped one hand and slapped Nicole’s butt.

 

“Now let’s go see our kid. And please leave your gun at home. I really like this doctor.”

 

Nicole obliged and locked up her gun before they left to get to the OB clinic. It was another uncomfortable full-bladder ride for Waverly so Nicole distracted her by showing her cute pictures of Calamity Jane she’d taken on her phone.

 

Waverly flicked through them, smiling at the sheer volume and at some of the ones that had been drawn over in different ways.

 

“Hey, you made her paw look like a teddy bear.”

 

“That was Alice!” Nicole replied proudly, “She’s really artistic. I love all the pictures she’s been drawing of the baby. I still haven’t been able to find a baby Stetson…”

 

Waverly squeezed Nicole’s shoulder, then suddenly lurched when they hit a speed bump.

 

“Nicole! I’m trying not to pee myself here!”

 

“Sorry, baby,” Nicole replied apologetically, “I’ll slow down.”

 

Prolonging the journey wasn’t ideal for Waverly either but it was a discomfort she’d have to endure. Living so many years under the Earp curse had a surprising side-effect of giving you a strong bladder.

 

Finally, it was worth it as they got to the clinic and were called in for the scan. Nicole had to help Waverly up onto the table this time as she couldn’t quite push her own body weight up anymore, despite the strength of her arms. Waverly was really starting to feel pregnant with things like that happening regularly, and being forced into elasticated clothing. It annoyed her at times, but then their baby would kick her and all she could do was smile.

 

Dr. Henning welcomed them and checked in to see how Waverly was doing. Waverly explained she was starting to get the foot aches and sleepless nights but nothing unexpected.

 

“I’ll be more on top of the foot rubs,” Nicole promised quietly in Waverly’s ear.

 

“Thanks, baby,” Waverly replied softly.

 

She squeezed Nicole’s hand and pulled down the elasticated front of her jeans to allow the cool jelly to be squirted there.

 

Hers and Nicole’s fingers both twirled around each other’s as they waited for the picture to come up on the screen.

 

Finally, though it was only a few seconds, the sepia-toned picture came up and an even more clear vision of a fetus shook onto the display.

 

Nicole stood right up, eyes wide to take it all in.

 

“Look how much she’s grown!”

 

Waverly could only chuckle; she’d _definitely_ felt the impact of the growing baby.

 

“You haven’t noticed?”

 

“Of course, but…” Nicole replied, awed, “…it’s different. She’s turning into who she’ll be.”

 

She bit the corner of her lip and watched all the new features that were now apparent.

 

“Brain, heart, mouth, spine, organs; everything looks good. Placenta and umbilical cord present normally,” Dr. Henning listed off when she’d finished all her checks, “And she’s definitely a girl, by the way. Never been wrong.”

 

“Hey baby girl,” Waverly said happily, “We’re so glad you’ve started letting us know you’re in there.”

 

Nicole bent her knees so her head was at belly-level and she was glancing between it and screen.

 

“She’s really in there, growing big and strong.”

 

She squeezed Waverly’s hand and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

 

“Thank you for doing this for us,” she said, looking her wife sincerely in the eye, “Giving us this gift. I’ll never be able to repay it.”

 

Waverly’s brow softened.

 

“Nicole, I…”

 

She held her wife’s hand up and squeezed between both of hers.

 

“I’m honored to.”

 

Nicole pressed a kiss to Waverly’s forehead.

 

“And I’m honored to be by your side,” she said sweetly, “Because I love you, Waverly.”

 

“I love you, Nicole,” Waverly answered, trying not to get choked up, “Like I never knew before and never will know with anyone else.”

 

Her eyes dropped and she smiled.

 

“Well…”

 

Their gaze fell back to screen together.

 

“With one exception.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A third and final smut warning for this fic.

Waverly lay on her side, trying and failing to curl up without being reminded of the straining sphere ejecting itself from her once-flat front.

 

It was an effort even to turn on her other side, but her natural and worked-on strength was proving to be a big advantage. She wouldn’t have wanted to go into this pregnancy out of shape.

 

As she turned, she realized Nicole was neither lying beside her nor completely absent as she might expect. Instead, she was sitting on the edge, turned in to face Waverly and with a tray on her lap.

 

Waverly rubbed her eyes and sat up. Focused, she could see a plate with waffles, fresh fruit, and cream, two glasses of orange juice, a single pink gerbera in a vase and a card that said ‘For The One I Love’ on the front , with the ‘I’ crossed out and ‘We’ scribbled in.

 

Waverly smiled, soft and sleepily and picked up the card to read the inside.

 

“To Mama, Happy 27th Birthday from Nicole and the bump.”

 

Waverly felt herself get choked up; it was the first time she’d seen herself referred to as that in writing and it reaffirmed that it was the title she wanted.

 

She looked up at Nicole, who leaned in and gave her a kiss.

 

“Happy Birthday.”

 

Waverly mouthed ‘thank you’ and put the card on her nightstand next to her picture of Nicole she still kept there, although now she was in the photo too, and they were both in wedding dresses.

 

She noticed a small purple velvet box in the shadow of where the card had been and reached for it curiously.

 

“Oh my god, Nicole.”

 

There was a beautiful pair of diamond earrings inside, perfectly square and shining brilliantly.

 

“I know all your jewelry is uncomfortable against your skin right now, but I noticed you were still wearing earrings,” Nicole said softly, “I hope you like them.”

 

“They’re stunning, baby,” Waverly replied, looking at them in awe.

 

She shouldn’t have been, though. Nicole had a stellar track record in having her birthdays make up for the two-decades of ones she’d missed out on.  Gorgeous gifts, thoughtful dates, heartfelt words and generally showering her with love and devotion had become a staple over the last five years, but it never failed to catch Waverly off-guard at the sheer strength of emotion Nicole displayed for her.

 

She put the earrings safely to the side and grabbed Nicole this time, smacking their lips together.

 

The tray wobbled and Nicole had to take a firmer grip.

 

“Whoa, you don’t want to wear your breakfast.”

 

“Not as much as I’d like to wear you,” Waverly replied in a low tone.

 

Nicole’s eyes glazed momentarily. Waverly hadn’t been in the mood much lately, not that she complained. She understood the lengths her wife’s body was going for them, and the hormonal surges in the first trimester had almost worn her out anyway.

 

She pushed the tray aside and scooted in closer. She leaned in so she and Waverly shared warm breath. She watched Waverly’s eyes fall to her lips and licked them purposefully.

 

“Well let’s see if—”

 

“Happy Birthday Auntie Wave!”

 

Nicole twisted herself off the bed, jumping up while her hands cupped herself between her legs like she’d been shot because that was what it felt like.

 

“Alice you have to knoc—!” Wynonna came flying in behind her, then exhaled in relief when she saw everyone still in clothing, “Phew.”

 

“Teaching the next generation your special skills, Wynonna?” Nicole remarked snarkily.

 

Wynonna continued walking in, over to Nicole.

 

“Not always listening is a consequence of raising a strong, independent woman. You’ll see.”

 

Nicole glanced at Waverly oohing and aahing over Alice’s homemade gift for her and shook off the arousal that had planted itself below her stomach. It wasn’t going to be satisfied in that moment; that was for sure.

 

“You know what to do today?” she asked Wynonna quietly.

 

Wynonna nodded.

 

“Don’t let her come back until you say so. Aye aye captain. And you remember to keep your mouth shut.”

 

She mock-saluted then went to wish Waverly a happy birthday too. Nicole’s breakfast for two was demolished by the three of them and she could only sigh and chuckle to herself. As long as Waverly was having a good time, that was all that mattered.

 

Eventually, she discreetly kicked Wynonna’s ankle, who miraculously took the hint and scooped Alice out of there.

 

“I’m sorry, baby, you didn’t get much of your breakfast,” Waverly said, looking at the crumbs left on the plate.

 

“It’s no big deal,” Nicole replied easily, “As long as you got some, right? Those Earp girls are grabby.”

 

“Yes, we Haught-Earps are so much more refined,” Waverly replied with that same worst British accent Nicole had ever heard.

 

Nicole could only smile.

 

“I have something else for you. It’s under the bed.”

 

Waverly arched an eyebrow.

 

“Well, I hope you don’t expect me to get on the floor. I don’t know that I’ll get back up.”

 

Nicole dropped to her knees and looked under the bed, then her head popped back up.

 

“Close your eyes.”

 

Waverly diligently closed her eyes and Nicole wrestled her gift from under the bed. She placed it alongside Waverly.

 

“Okay, open.”

 

Waverly opened her eyes curiously and they immediately lit up.

 

“Nicole!” she said in delight.

 

Nicole grinned.

 

“I know I’m the best body pillow there is, but I thought it was about time I roped in some help.”

 

Waverly curled herself around the huge pillow and couldn’t believe the immediate comfort. She closed her eyes and nuzzled the top.

 

“I want to make love to it.”

 

Nicole fake pouted.

 

“Hey, at least hold out for me.”

 

Waverly’s eyes flicked open and Nicole found herself drawing in a breath at their beautiful depths.

 

“I will _always_ hold out for you,” Waverly promised in a way that was both sweet and evocative.

 

She reached across and brushed her fingertips against Nicole’s cheek.

 

“So where are you taking me today?”

 

“Wynonna is taking you out,” Nicole answered, keeping her tone light.

 

Waverly frowned.

 

“Wynonna?”

 

“Uh huh,” Nicole answered, hoping she wasn’t giving herself away.

 

Waverly couldn’t hide her disappointment.

 

“Why aren’t you coming?”

 

“I have to work, baby,” Nicole replied apologetically, and not entirely a lie, the only way she was able to keep up the pretense at all.

 

“Oh,” Waverly replied, “On a Saturday?”

 

“I’m sorry,” Nicole replied, leaning over to kiss Waverly’s cheek, “You’ll have a good time and I’ll make dinner later.”

 

Waverly just sighed.

 

“She’s not going to take me to a strip joint, is she?”

 

“I hope that’s not what she meant when she said she was taking you for a massage,” Nicole replied, wide-eyed and it made Waverly laugh.

 

“Where is Alice going?”

 

“Doc is coming over,” Nicole answered, and continued swiftly, “You better get yourself dressed. I gotta go. Um, downstairs. Now. I gotta go downstairs now.”

 

She picked up the tray and empty dishes and made her way downstairs before Waverly could ask any more questions.

 

She tidied up after breakfast and kept putting her fingers to her lips when Alice would skid over and giggle conspiringly.

 

She spotted Doc pulling up and had the door open for him by the time he got there.

 

“She’s still here, but you can get Alice ready,” she said quietly, and Doc nodded once before going to Alice.

 

They passed Waverly on the stairs and he wished her a Happy Birthday and hurried Alice up while she giggled.

 

Wynonna was quick to guide Waverly away.

 

“C’mon, babygirl. Wait ‘til you feel my guy’s hands. I’ll even buy you lunch after.”

 

“We’re not going to Dolls’ house are we?” Waverly asked in alarm as she was brought out.

 

The door shut and Nicole watched the truck clear the whole street before she bolted upstairs.

 

Doc and Alice were waiting outside the room she was going to, in matching blue overalls and really looking cute as a button.

 

She took a picture because she knew Waverly would want to see that later and then smiled at them both.

 

“Are you two ready to work?”

* * *

 

 

 

“Ahh!” Nicole exclaimed as she read Waverly’s messages come through in quick succession, “Everybody, Waverly will be here in a few minutes! Find your place to hide!”

 

There was a flurry around the homestead living space as the townspeople of Purgatory found various nooks, crannies, and objects to hide behind.

 

They obviously hadn’t gotten the memo that it was a birthday party _and_ baby shower because some had shown up in glamorous dress and others were in plain pastel-themed attire. Chrissy Nedley had managed to combine both in a pretty pink dress and Nicole figured that was because she’d been the only one Nicole herself had actually told in person about the party. She’d asked Waverly’s friend to pass on the information and a suspicious part of her wondered if Chrissy had been vague on purpose so she’d look the best.

 

It was a consequence of trying to keep things a secret and really, Nicole was just happy that she’d gotten the balloons blown up on time and the party food thrown into bowls. She’d really underestimated how long everything on her to-do list took and even now she’d had guests helping themselves to drinks while she finished up the last few things.

 

Minutes later, the truck could be heard crunching over the gravel and the headlights flashed several times into the dark house. Nicole gave a last warning that they were on their way in and hid behind a chair.

 

The key jostled in the door and less than a second later, Waverly’s frustrated voice carried through.

 

“Jeez, Wynonna, take the hint! I want to have sex with my sexy Sheriff wif—”

 

The lights sprung on mid-sentence and everybody jumped up, some having registered what she was saying, some not.

 

“Surp…!”

 

“…prize…”

 

A balloon releasing all of its air would have been an apt soundtrack to the moment, with Waverly standing in stunned silence and Nicole in the middle of the room, eyes wide and bottom lip open in shock.

 

Wynonna tried to save the situation by jumping in front of Waverly and trying again.

 

“Surprise!”

 

“Oh my god,” Waverly whispered, her cheeks turning a bright crimson as everyone looked on at her.

 

There was stony silence until Alice broke it, hanging out in front of Doc’s legs.

 

“What’s sex?”

 

“It’s a… special adult hug,” Wynonna said, barely believing the words actually coming out of her mouth, “Hey did you draw all these baby pictures? They’re great!”

 

She and Doc brought Alice off to distract her from the unfolding situation.

 

Nicole snapped to attention and took a few steps forward, but Nedley got to Waverly first. He handed her a card and offered a cordial tip of his hat.

 

“Happy Birthday Waverly. And congratulations on the baby.”

 

Waverly could barely meet his eye.

 

“Thank you,” she croaked out, “Sheriff Nedley.”

 

He smiled.

 

“It’s just Nedley these days. But I think you know who the Sheriff is.”

 

Waverly nearly died on the spot and as soon as he passed by her again, marched up to Nicole. Thankfully Chrissy had taken the initiative to press play on the music and guide people over to the shower game setup she’d made in the corner.

 

“Nicole!” Waverly cried, pulling her off to the side.

 

Nicole held her hands up.

 

“I didn’t know you were going to march through the door announcing that!” she said, though couldn’t help glance at Waverly’s lips, plump from all the blood rushing to her head, “But I’m very willing…”

 

She put her hands on Waverly’s hips and Waverly went to brush them off, but realized pretty quickly that she didn’t want to. She dropped her head against Nicole’s chest and banged it against her softly.

 

“I’m sorry, baby,” Nicole soothed, “I just wanted to do something nice for you and I thought…”

 

She paused, throwing a hand up helplessly.

 

“Well since our last experience at a baby shower was such a disaster…”

 

Waverly looked away, the last thing she needed to be reminded of was _that_.

 

“I thought we could celebrate _you_ and the baby all at once,” Nicole finished a bit lamely.

 

Waverly hated the pained look on Nicole’s face when she’d clearly gone to so much effort. She stood on her tip-toes to peck her wife’s lips.

 

“You’re amazing. It’s me being an…Earp.”

 

“A Haught one though,” Nicole laughed and Waverly couldn’t help it, she laughed too.

 

Waverly glanced around and thankfully nobody was staring at her, mostly because Dolls was thrusting alcohol into people’s hands, on Wynonna’s instruction Waverly guessed.

 

“This place looks great.”

 

“I had a lot of help,” Nicole replied demurely, “Doc and Alice have been decorating all day and Chrissy organized all those games. I don’t even know what half of them are. I was working on—a secret project.”

 

Waverly arched an eyebrow and Nicole just smiled.

 

“All in good time, my love.”

 

They both leaned in for a kiss, but Wynonna exercised her impeccable timing by swanning up from behind.

 

“And I, of course, was the cunning conspirator extraordinaire who kept you in hiding for the whole day,” she said, throwing an arm around Waverly’s shoulder, “Until she started hitting me with her purse until I took her home. I forgot how intense horny Waverly is.”

 

Waverly narrowed her eyes and Wynonna backed off, but not before throwing them a wink. Waverly continued a glare, but it changed as she settled her eyes back on Nicole.

 

“Don’t tire yourself out this evening, okay?”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” Nicole replied, grinning excitedly, “You better go see Alice before Doc takes her home. She did all the paper doll baby chains and she’s very proud.”

 

Waverly took the chance to hide while people got drunk enough to forget her entrance and found Alice with Doc, taking her off so he could have one beer with the guys before he took his daughter home.

 

She kept talking about how much fun she had painting, and Waverly kept complimenting how nice her chain dolls were.

 

Eventually, she was pulled into a party game by Chrissy; literally pulled which was no mean feat with the extra leverage Waverly had to plant her feet on the floor. The lack of alcohol made it worse, as everyone else was tucking into it generously and being the sober one in a room full of drunks was exhausting. Thankfully Waverly was used to it from her work at Shorty’s and was able to take a seat on the couch to shut her brain off for a while.

 

“Those people are doing disgusting things with a candy bar and a diaper,” Wynonna commented as she dropped in beside her sister. “Taking a break?”

 

Waverly rolled her ankles.

 

“I’m not used to being on my feet this much anymore. I only do office work at Shorty’s now,” she commented, but a cheerful smile graced her lips, “It’s nice to interact with people again though. I feel like I’ve been a shut-out.”

 

“Even people you’ve known your whole life?” Wynonna commented wryly.

 

Waverly nodded.

 

“Especially.”

 

Wynonna threw an arm loosely over the back of the couch.

 

“So, 27. Traditionally a big birthday in this family.”

 

“If I was an Earp. Which I was-wasn’t-am,” Waverly replied easily, “Actually, raging embarrassment is probably the best thing to happen to an Earp on their 27th birthday. Plus there’s balloons.”

 

Wynonna kicked her shoes up on their coffee table.

 

“I’m glad yours is going better than mine,” she said, then patted Waverly’s stomach, “And I’m glad ours will never even have to know about it. To worrying about bad hair days and not bad heir days.”

 

She gently knocked her beer against Waverly’s stomach in a toast. Waverly leaned her head onto her sister’s shoulder and appreciated the comfort of that knowledge and the embrace.

 

“Was this in your plan?” Wynonna asked eventually.

  
“What do you mean?” Waverly asked, confused.

 

“Well, I know you, Waverly,” Wynonna explained, “I know you had a 10-year plan for every year of your life. So what was on your list on your 17th birthday? Married? Pregnant? Living with your nutjob older sister? Translating demonic texts while your wife bosses the whole town around next door?”

 

Waverly threw her eyes up to heaven while smiling on one side. She glanced over at Nicole, who was telling a story that even Dolls was smirking a little at.

 

“The wife part was a surprise,” she said in amusement.

 

Wynonna snorted.

 

“Yeah, no kidding.”

 

“A great one, though,” Waverly added, smiling adoringly across the room, “If you said I'll give you everything Nicole is but as a man I'd say no thank you. I love my lady just as she is. Being a woman is one of my favorite things about her.”

 

“Well, boobs,” Wynonna conceded, “You got me there.”

 

Waverly couldn’t deny it, so she said nothing.

 

“Most of the time my plans turn to absolute balls...but sometimes they turn out better than I ever could have expected.”

 

Wynonna took a swig of beer and nodded towards Nicole.

 

“Was it weird the first time you…”

 

Waverly paused. They’d never really spoken about it before, at least not specifically. She made sure no one was listening before continuing.

 

“No,” she said with an easy smile, “It was like I’d gone my whole life wearing a trash bag…and I ignored that it was uncomfortable, because hey, at least I was covered. But then someone gave me a dress that fit like a dream and keeps me warm and makes me feel attractive and puts color into my life. And I just knew this was what it was supposed to feel like.”

 

She sighed happily.

 

“Also the dress is an amazing kisser,” she tacked on, licking her lips slightly in memory and anticipation.

 

Wynonna smiled, then smacked her hand down on Waverly’s thigh.

 

“Okay, that’s enough about my baby sister’s sex life. Do you want anything?”

 

Waverly shook her head and Wynonna jumped up to get a new beer. Waverly spent a few minutes pondering the groups that had naturally formed before she pushed herself up and tried to slip into a new conversation.

 

After a while, she took another break, this time on the step of the back door to get a little air.

 

She was only out there a minute when a familiar set of legs bent and sat beside her. They looked good in jeans, but better when they were tangled around her.

 

“You’re not having any fun,” Nicole said, as she put a jacket around Waverly’s shoulders.

 

Waverly was warmed beyond the comfort of the fabric.

 

“That’s not true, I just won at Pin The Baby On The Mommy,” she replied proudly, “And it’s…it’s nice. Everyone came. Here. To the homestead, the place the whole town avoids.”

 

She paused to meet Nicole’s eye.

 

“To celebrate me _and_ our baby. She’s already accepted. That’s…a very nice feeling and you’ve allowed me to have it. That’s the best birthday present I could have asked for. Thank you.”

 

Nicole leaned in and pressed a kiss on top of Waverly’s eyebrow. She then offered a hand.

 

“I have something else for you. But I have to give it to you in private.”

 

Waverly smirked and Nicole grinned back.

 

“Get your mind out of the gutter,” she mock-admonished, then quirked an eyebrow, “For now.”

 

She pecked Waverly’s cheek quickly and jumped up first, then helped Waverly up too.

 

“We have to sneak upstairs.”

 

Waverly peeked out the door and when it was clear, tugged on Nicole’s hand. They ran up the stairs and out of sight together, finally slouching against the wall giggling, with Waverly holding her front.

 

“Wow, that’s the fastest I’ve moved in a while. Pregnancy yoga does not involve stairs.”

 

She caught her breath quickly and smiled at her wife.

 

“Okay. I’m ready to be surprised.”

 

“Close your eyes,” Nicole encouraged.

 

Waverly did and held up her hands.

 

“Okay, but I’m just saying, it’s going to be hard to beat the body pillow.”

 

Nicole took Waverly’s hand again and guided a few feet over a threshold and to the bedroom right next to theirs. She moved around to embrace her wife from behind, resting her chin on top of Waverly’s head.

 

“Okay, baby. Open.”

 

Waverly didn’t even know exactly where she was, much less what to expect, and so drew in a sharp breath when she finally opened her eyes.

 

The once barren room that had belonged to Waverly in the past had been transformed. The walls were light brown and cream and the back wall had a tree silhouette decal with little orange birds perched on the end. The furniture was dark mahogany, including a crib sitting just to the side of the tree. There was a brown nursing chair and a changing table and everything Waverly could have wished could be in the nursery, all so beautifully collected and displayed as the home it would be to their little girl.

 

Her hand was against her mouth.

 

“How…?”

 

“I’ve been assembling the furniture and hiding it in the barn,” Nicole admitted softly, “And I may have employed some child labor to get the painting done. As well as a few strong men who happen to be willing to do anything to see you happy.”

 

She hugged Waverly’s waist and let them sway slightly.

 

“I know you like to plan but I thought maybe you wouldn’t mind this once if I did.”

 

Waverly turned and placed her palms on Nicole’s collarbone. She was near tears, overcome with happiness.

 

“I was just saying that things work out better than I could ever expect,” she said, patting the area under her hands, “At least when the common denominator is you.”

 

She leaned in to kiss Nicole, holding her cheeks so she could really press their lips together.

 

“This is a beautiful nursery. Thank you so much.”

 

She pecked Nicole’s lips again, then walked around to take a look at all the details. The books and soft toys Nicole had picked out especially; the preparedness in the stacks of diapers and onesies ready for when she arrived.

 

She ended at the crib and ran her hand along the smooth mattress. She didn’t have to close her eyes to see them standing over her, soothing her to sleep together, reading her stories and singing her song. As if sensing her thought, Nicole came to stand beside her and put an arm around her shoulders.

 

They spent a minute or so enjoying the moment until Waverly turned her chin up to look at her wife.

 

“Want to move this next door?”

 

Nicole couldn’t help grinning.

 

“You think they’ll notice if we stay gone?”

 

“I think we should lock our door and ignore any complaints,” Waverly replied resolutely.

 

“I am so in,” Nicole agreed.

 

They moved quickly back into their room, leaving the sounds of the party behind. Making it a combined party had worked in their favor because everyone was drunk enough to take part in the games without noticing the absence of the guest of honor too much. Chrissy had noticed, but Wynonna covered and said Waverly had a backache. Everyone would enjoy the evening and leave barely even registering that they had sneaked off.

 

Waverly closed the bedroom door behind them and locked it, checking the handle just to make _extra_ sure no one would be stumbling in on them. She’d revealed enough of herself for one night.

 

She backed up against the door and looked at Nicole standing in the middle of the room with a knowing twinkle in her eye.

 

Waverly tried to stride over purposefully but her swagger was more of a waddle; not that Nicole seemed to mind in the slightest, meeting her for as assured kiss full of anticipatory lust.

 

Waverly melted under the soft caress of lips and threw her arms around Nicole’s neck to steady herself.

 

Her hands slowly moved down Nicole’s toned arms and to her waist, before sliding around to the front to snap open her belt.

 

She felt Nicole’s tongue brush her lips and welcomed it in. It hadn’t been _forever_ but it had been too long and it was obvious in how eager Nicole was being. Waverly whipped her hand back so Nicole’s belt came flying through the loops and snapped lightly against the floor.

 

Nicole felt the whack vibrate under her feet and it made her pull Waverly closer, this time pulling at her wife’s sweater. She pulled it over Waverly’s head and let it fall to the floor.

 

Waverly was left in her bra and maternity jeans and Nicole desired her every bit as much as the first time she’d pulled a top over her head all those years ago in the bar.

 

She pulled Waverly closer and buried her head into her wife’s neck.

 

“Waves,” she breathed, pushing them back towards the bed.

 

She caught Waverly before they fell and eased her down more gently.

 

As Waverly moved onto her back, Nicole caught each of her wife’s shoes and tossed them over her shoulders. She stepped out of her own sneakers before joining Waverly on the bed, more alongside instead of on top. She kissed along the cleavage made by Waverly’s bra while pushing the straps down.

 

Her lips brushed against the exposed parts of Waverly’s breasts, feeling the warmth of a flush in response.

 

Waverly’s teeth indented her bottom lip as the familiar burst of arousal spread between her legs. Nicole’s lips blistering her skin was only the start of what was to come and her body was very ready.

 

She reached down and gently pulled Nicole up by the back of her neck, kissing her to release some of the tension already starting to coil inside her. She pulled Nicole’s shirt out from her pants and one hand began deftly unbuttoning the tiny barriers to the delicious, soft skin she wanted.

 

She hurriedly yanked the material over Nicole’s shoulder and palmed a bra-clad breast. She could feel the nipple strain under the material and rubbed her palm there to tease it more. Nicole moaned into her mouth and Waverly shivered at getting the reaction she wanted.

 

She tugged at Nicole’s waist again to turn her on her side and reached behind to unsnap her bra.

 

Nicole paused to rip all of her half-removed upper half clothing off and wasted no time in releasing the hooks of Waverly’s bra too.

 

Her rosy nipples already stood firm already and Nicole’s mouth was on them in seconds, turning them hard and flushed, along with the rest of Waverly’s body.

 

Waverly felt an electric shock at each touch of Nicole’s skin on her pebbling flesh. Even elasticated, her jeans just felt far too restrictive for the pool of arousal seeping out from between her legs.

 

“Nicole…strip me, please.”

 

Nicole didn’t need to be asked twice and kneeled between Waverly’s legs, sliding the jeans off her legs. She kissed Waverly’s thighs as they were exposed and moved inwards to the front of her damp panties.  She had to angle her head so she didn’t headbutt the bump but it was worth the extra care to hear Waverly groaning with her mouth so close.

 

Nicole bumped her nose twice right against Waverly’s clit through the fabric of her panties, then took the panties between her teeth and tugged them down. She left Waverly a nude, squirming mess.

 

Waverly pawed at Nicole’s hips and popped the button on her pants. One finger pushed the zipper down and then pressed inside, barely grazing Nicole’s clit to torture her in the same way she had been. The wetness was too much of an allure though, and her fingers just automatically began sliding in and out of Nicole’s panties.

 

Nicole’s hips pushed forward, enjoying the pressure until Waverly took her hand out to pull the pants off. It was Nicole’s turn to squirm and she lay back to help finish undressing herself.

 

Waverly lay half on-top and ran her hand up Nicole’s bare leg and leaned in again to kiss her. It started as a slow re-acquainting peck but Waverly turned it up when she slid her hands into Nicole’s hair and soon their mouths were expressing the hum of desire vibrating through each of their bodies.

 

When there was a brief parting for air, Waverly kissed down to Nicole’s neck and over her throat, feeling her love’s voice box quiver with the moan passing her lips.

 

Her mouth followed the trail of Nicole’s body; the jutting bones of her collarbone, the stretch of freckles across her breasts, the dip in her side where the bullet had entered and the neat patch of red hair that flamed Waverly inside with a molten gush of arousal.

 

She ran her fingers through the soft hair and let her hand slide down until it opened Nicole’s thigh. Nicole’s skin was already wet and she could feel it transferring to her palm. Waverly dug her fingertips in to make sure she had a firm hold and got into the best position she could; on her knees with her back angled and leaned into where she wanted to be most.

 

It wasn’t as easy or as close as she liked to be usually: just lying between Nicole’s legs with nothing in her way, but she was _there_ and her nose was taking in the scent and her tongue was almost touching and her brain was in too much of a Nicole haze to care about anything else.

 

Her mouth kissed Nicole first, letting that first taste coat her lips before her tongue dipped out to taste properly.

 

“Oh god, Waverly…”

 

That guttural cry spurned Waverly on, but she was very quickly noticing a painful twinge from the awkward angle of her back. She reached back to rub out the little knot, counting on Nicole’s eyes being shut but had no such luck.

 

“Baby?” Nicole asked in concern, sitting up and closing her legs, much to Waverly’s annoyance.

 

“No, it’s okay.”

 

Nicole frowned.

 

“You looked like you were in pain.”

 

“It wasn’t that bad,” Waverly protested.

 

Nicole shook her head.

 

“This shouldn’t be painful. This is like…the least painful way to have sex.”

 

Waverly huffed out a frustrated breath.

 

“There’s no non-painful way to do anything when you’re this pregnant!” she snapped, then continued quickly when Nicole opened her mouth, “And don't say I don't have to, Nicole. I know I don't have to, I want to. You're my wife and I...I wanted to feel more of the wife part than the pregnant part. But obviously I’ve pasted way too far into the heifer stage to even be attractive anymore, so what’s the point?”

 

Nicole’s eyes widened and furrowed with each new revelation from that rant.

 

She shook her head again, to herself, and scooted down until they were face to face again. She trailed a finger down the side of Waverly’s face tenderly and finally tiled her chin up.

 

“You are beautiful because you’re you. And I don’t care what happens to the outer package because you’re simply stunning in all guises.”

 

She leaned in and pressed their lips together sweetly.

 

“As long as you taste like my Waverly, everything else is just dressing.”

 

Waverly’s face bloomed into a smile, but she shouldn’t have been surprised — Nicole always knew just what to say.

 

“Do I taste like your Waverly?” she asked softly.

 

Nicole winked.

 

“With a little bit of me thrown in.”

 

Waverly’s lips pursed in a restrained grin.

 

“I think that’s when I taste best.”

 

Nicole caught the back of Waverly’s neck and brought her in.

 

“Now if you want to get a little closer I’m not going to say no.”

 

Waverly’s breath caught in a fresh burst of arousal.

 

“How about you get a little closer?”

 

Nicole grinned. She knew this game.

 

“How about you make me?”

 

Waverly grabbed Nicole’s face and pulled her in for a steamy kiss that lasted long enough for her to lie back down and pull at Nicole’s hips.

 

Nicole continued kissing Waverly until she was breathless and only then obliged the request. She threw one leg over Waverly’s body while Waverly grabbed another pillow for under her head and wrapped her hands around Nicole’s hips.

 

This was _way_ easier on her body and an even better view so she was pretty happy now that Nicole had stopped them.

 

She raised her head to push between Nicole’s thighs and licked her length. She felt Nicole’s thighs clench and then felt an answering gush on her tongue.

 

“Oh yes, baby,” Nicole encouraged, rocking her hips into Waverly’s face.

 

She placed a palm flat on the wall to keep her upright, in a spot that already had a few paint peelings from repeated nail scratchings. It was one of two spots on that wall, the other being a few inches lower and to the left.

 

Nicole felt Waverly’s tongue dart inside her and her eyes rolled back into her head at the burst of pleasure. Her moans grew louder but stopped at a certain octave; she knew the pitch she could go to without alerting anyone outside of the room to her noises.

 

Waverly actually loved getting her to that point and then really going for it to watch as her wife’s body went wild as all her restraint was focused on her voice. Nicole called it ‘mean’ but would hate if Waverly stopped because there was nothing like losing herself under Waverly’s touch.

 

That point came so quickly this time but Nicole didn’t fight it. She wanted this release, wanted to make a mess and show Waverly just how much she did and always would find her sexy. Plus Waverly’s tongue was futile to fight, especially as it rounded her clit and soothed the throb.

 

“Oh, Waverly…I’m…”

 

It caught her off guard even though it had been building so quickly. Her stomach muscles tensed and released, pushing the orgasm out of her and spilling out onto Waverly’s mouth. Her head hung back as she caught her breath, an occasional shiver going through her spine as Waverly’s tongue brushed delicately against her swollen flesh.

 

Waverly licked her lips when Nicole moved off her and lazily swiped at her mouth. She glanced over at Nicole, who looked sated and spent. While it was good for her ego and she loved turning her wife into that state, the arousal between her legs was slick and uncomfortable.

 

“Nicole,” she said needily.

 

Nicole’s eyes opened, understanding.

 

“I know, baby,” she cooed, scooting in close and turning Waverly on her side so they were in a spooning position.

 

Waverly felt Nicole push against the curve of her buttocks, leaving a warm, wet trail on it. She moaned and reached back to push Nicole in more, loving how it felt.

 

Nicole’s hand reached over Waverly’s hipbone and dipped between her legs. She teased her outer lips for a moment, but they were already puffy and made Waverly hiss in pleasure just to feel the barest touch. Nicole was gentle with her wife’s sensitive skin, but Waverly was soon begging for more and who was she to deny?

 

She coated her fingers with the generous arousal Waverly was offering and entered her with two fingers.

 

“Yes, Nicole!” Waverly gasped at the welcome intrusion, her inner muscles clamping down to draw her in further.

 

Nicole thrust into the first knuckle then curled and dragged them out before re-entering all the way. She repeated the curling motion until Waverly was squirming in her arms. She tucked her head into Waverly’s neck and kissed her there, letting her tongue poke out every so often to taste.

 

Waverly was panting hard and gripping Nicole’s arm to encourage the movements inside her.

 

“Don’t stop, Nicole…baby, don’t stop!”

 

Nicole had no intention of it and started to slide her thumb up to brush Waverly’s clit. It took barely three repetitions of this before Waverly was convulsing back into her and groaning her name.

 

Nicole hadn’t intended to, but Waverly pushing back at her had stimulated her enough to come again and they both collapsed into each other in a satisfied embrace.

 

“Happy Birthday, Wave.”

 

Waverly closed her eyes sleepily.

 

“Thank you for making it wonderful. You always make it wonderful.”

 

Nicole just smiled.

 

She didn’t plan to stop until Waverly could only remember happy birthday memories.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reference another wayhaught one-shot I wrote in this, because they are both canon-adjacent and therefore exist in the same universe. But really, all you need to know is Nicole has reciprocated with the occasional lapdance for Waverly's cheerleading routines.

Nicole waited on the street outside the Sheriff’s Department, continuously checking the road for Waverly in one of their vehicles.

 

Waverly had told her to wait here but she wished she was waiting inside. It was cold, and she wasn’t even sure why she was waiting in the first place. It had been a long day and she really just wanted to come home.

 

All she was told was change out of her uniform and wait, and so, unable to deny Waverly anything at any time, she had done so and was hanging out on the sidewalk, arms folded across her chest to keep in some warmth.

 

Finally, a truck pulled up, though Wynonna was driving.

 

“Get in, loser, we’re going drinking.”

 

Nicole’s brow creased in confusion, even more so when Waverly hopped out of the passenger side and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

 

“You have permission this time.”

 

She turned to Wynonna with a sternly wagging finger.

 

“Wynonna. No. Dancing.”

 

“I left those days behind long ago, babygirl,” Wynonna replied casually.

 

Waverly’s jaw set.

 

“If you think you knew trouble before, try it on hormones.”

 

Wynonna held her hands up.

 

“No letting anyone rub on the redhead. I got it, I got it.”

 

Waverly turned back to a bewildered Nicole.

 

“No showing off your skills either, you hear me?” she said, quiet enough for only themselves to hear.

 

She pushed Nicole into the truck, who secured her seatbelt on autopilot.

 

“Wait,” she said slowly, putting all the parts of the conversation together, “We’re going to—”

 

Wynonna hit the accelerator and they sped off, Nicole banging back against the seats.

 

“Pussy Willows?” Nicole asked as they stepped over the unfortunately familiar threshold, “Why would we come here after everything that happened?”

 

Wynonna sidled up to the bar and took a stool.

 

“Old time’s sake?” she suggested with a shrug, “Let’s call it a momchelorette party.”

 

She held up two fingers, both for Nicole’s sake and the bartender’s.

 

“With two people.”

 

Two glasses of beer were placed in front of them, some of it sloshing messily out of the sides.

 

Nicole walked straight to the bar, keeping her gaze averted from any of the dancers.

 

“Of all the shitholes in town, you pick this one?”

 

Wynonna held out one of the beers, which Nicole reluctantly took.

 

“Wynonna, what’s going on?”

 

She took a sip from her glass and instantly regretted it. It tasted like stale beer, sweat, and bad life choices.

 

“I just wanted to talk to you,” Wynonna replied, drinking the beer more easily, “About you and my sister.”

 

Nicole chuckled.

 

“You’re one wedding and an adorable baby bump too late for this conversation.”

 

“Well I meant to have it before you got married but Waverly warned me off,” Wynonna replied, gesticulating with one hand, “I just hope you’re serious.”

 

Nicole looked at Wynonna like she’d grown a second head.

 

“We’re having a baby, Wynonna.”

 

“Having a baby with someone doesn't always mean you're serious,” Wynonna scoffed and cut Nicole off before she could respond, “And neither does getting married, right?”

 

Nicole bristled.

 

“Touché,” she said, shifting uncomfortably on the chair, “Okay, if you have a sudden need to do the sister shakedown, then do it. But I love your sister more than anything.”

 

“Duh, I have eyes,” Wynonna replied, rolling them, “And though some may claim otherwise, I have a heart. I had an x-ray and everything to make sure.”

 

She looked down into her glass of beer.

 

“And I’m not here to do a sister shakedown,” she admitted finally, “I’m here to do an Alice shakedown.”

 

She looked up at Nicole.

 

“She loves you.”

 

“I love her,” Nicole replied slowly, “She’s always been special to me, you know that.”

 

Wynonna nodded.

 

“I do. And I’m really grateful for that. I just want to make sure now with your own baby on the way that she’s going to get left behind.”

 

Nicole took a moment to keep Wynonna’s gaze to make sure she knew she was being serious.

 

“Wynonna, I swear to you that that won’t happen. We might need your help in getting her adjusted to someone else in our house and hearts but,” she stopped and smiled, “We’re family.”

 

“And family means no one gets left behind,” Wynonna finished wisely, then continued off Nicole’s look, “What? You watch that Disney stuff enough some of it sticks.”

 

Nicole shook her head to herself.

 

“Did you tell Waverly this is what you were doing?”

 

“No, I told her I wanted to do some sister-in-law bonding and she fell for it hook, line and sinker. How else do you think I got her to agree to let you come to a strip joint?” Wynonna replied, fixing Nicole with a withering gaze, “You’re not going to rat me out _again,_ are you? This was the only place we could go I was sure no overbearing Purgatonians could overhear.”

 

Nicole just rolled her eyes and tried to look away, but Wynonna was the only focal point that didn’t involve an eyeful of breasts.

 

“This place really is awful,” she commented, wiping her hand when she accidentally touched the sticky counter.

 

The song changed to ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ and Wynonna snickered, gesturing a finger upwards at the speakers.

 

“I bet you slut dropped to this song in college.”

 

Nicole blushed. It was a lot more recently than college and it seemed the Earp sisters had similar brains when it came to this kind of thing.

 

“Wynonna we both have daughters...well, almost,” she tried to cover, “We shouldn’t be using that kind of language.”

 

Wynonna held her hands up defensively.

 

“Sorry, an independent-thinking-woman-free-of-society's-rules-and-expectations drop.”

 

Nicole bent her elbow and rested her head on her upturned palm.

 

Wynonna glanced at her sporadically for a few moments, then finally reached into her coat pocket and shoved what she pulled out into Nicole’s hand.

 

“So like Merry…Babymas or whatever.”

 

Nicole had no idea what the woolen thing was that had been thrust upon her until she plumped it up properly and saw it was a knitted baby Stetson.

 

Her eyes widened in surprise and delight.

 

“Did you knit this?”

 

“Not likely,” Wynonna scoffed, “I just paid someone to do it.”

 

Nicole was completely touched.

 

“Well, thank you. It’s great.”

 

Wynonna shrugged one shoulder but was smiling.

 

“Yeah, well, maybe now you can stop forcing my kid into one.”

 

“She loves it Wynonna,” Nicole retorted, “She might get into _real_ law enforcement one day you know.”

 

“Bite me,” Wynonna barked back, but they were sending answering grins to each other.

 

At that moment a burly guy with a beard down to his belt approached and stood between them, a hand pressing on the exposed sides on either of their stools.

 

“Ladies,” he greeted greasily.

 

“Weird-smelling gentleman,” Wynonna returned with a mock-salute.

 

“Can I buy you a drink?” he offered, smiling and revealing a black front tooth.

 

“Sure,” Wynonna shrugged.

 

He went off to get the bartender’s attention and Nicole glared at Wynonna, who just glared back.

 

“What? It’s not like he’s gonna turn out to be a revenant again. A free drink is a free drink.”

 

Nicole opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by her phone beeping with a new text message. She opened it and smiled.

 

“Waverly’s sending me pictures of her and Alice.”

 

“Making you feel guilty for looking at tits,” Wynonna guessed.

 

Nicole sighed deeply.

 

“I’m not looking, I don’t even know why we’re here!”

 

Wynonna’s gaze narrowed.

 

“I thought I was doing you a favor before you really are tied down.”

 

Nicole looked exasperated.

 

“Having a family doesn’t feel like being tied down to me, or if it does, I’m willingly being tied.”

 

“I don’t need to hear about your business,” Wynonna replied, pulling a face.

 

Nicole rolled her eyes yet again.

 

“Can we get out of here, _Aphrodite_? This place is seedier than a poppy seed bagel.”

 

Wynonna skulled the rest of her beer.

 

“No need to whip out the Aphrodite. I’m coming, I’m coming.”

 

They both jumped down and started to leave until a strong hand tugged both of their shoulders back.

 

“Hey, I wasn’t done with you.”

 

“Well I was done with you,” Wynonna replied to the burly man, whose hands were as greasy as his voice.

 

“That’s not how it works little girl,” he said threateningly.

 

Nicole sighed dramatically and stuffed her baby Stetson into her coat pocket.

 

“Oh jeez, not again,” she said as she spun out of his embrace, used her leverage to push him off Wynonna and whipped out her sock gun to aim at him, “You touch her again and I shoot.”

 

He backed off with a snarl and Wynonna wiped her shoulder.

 

“You were just showing off. I could have handled him myself.”

 

Nicole socked her gun again once they were safely outside.

 

“I know you could, but I’m the one who would have to call Waverly and tell her I had to bring her sister to the ER for getting into a bar fight and I’m the one who would end up with a pissed off wife because of your antics _again_.”

 

“Hey, she was only a pissed off girlfriend last time. At least you’ve moved up in the world,” Wynonna replied with a friendly finger gun.

 

Nicole took the keys and opened the truck for them.

 

“Wynonna, next time you want to talk, let’s just have a beer on the porch, okay?”

 

She drove them back to the homestead and let them inside. Waverly was surprised to see them.

 

“You’re home.”

 

“I missed my girls too much,” Nicole replied, striding over to meet her wife and give her a kiss.

 

“Where’s Alice?” Wynonna asked.

 

Waverly pointed up.

 

“Picking stories for bed.”

 

Nicole looked over at Wynonna.

 

“You take the first, I’ll take the second?”

 

Wynonna offered a nod of respect.

 

“You got it.”

 

Waverly watched Wynonna leave and turned to Nicole.

 

“I didn’t think you’d be back so soon. You guys didn’t fight, did you?”

 

“No we didn’t fight,” Nicole replied with a smile, “Waverly why did you let Wynonna take me to that place?”

 

Waverly smoothed out Nicole’s collar and lightly caressed her neck.

 

“Well last time you went I got a dance. Maybe I was hoping for a repeat performance.”

 

“Well in future, I prefer a straightforward verbal request,” Nicole replied with a serious look, despite the joking tone.

 

Waverly eyed the floor for a moment before meeting Nicole’s gaze.

 

“You’ve been so good to me since I got pregnant, I just thought…”

 

“You thought wrong,” Nicole replied softly.

 

Waverly perked up.

 

“You didn’t like looking at those girls?”

 

“I didn’t look at those girls. I don’t look at any girls, period,” Nicole replied, popping the ‘p’, “You have _nothing_ to worry about and _everything_ I want.”

 

Waverly threw her arms around Nicole’s neck and Nicole held onto Waverly’s waist, smiling and shaking her head.

 

“You original-Earp sisters with your convoluted plans. You drive me crazy.”

 

Waverly leaned in to nuzzle Nicole’s nose.

 

“But you love us.”

 

Nicole sighed softly.

 

“One in particular.”

 

She kissed her wife’s lips and knew that there could be nothing better than coming home to this woman.

 

“Please god; ban me, forbid me, threaten divorce if I’m ever to step foot in that place again.”

 

“Wynonna,” Waverly called up the stairs.

 

“I heard it!” Wynonna hollered back.

 

Nicole hugged Waverly and curved her hand around the swell of Waverly’s stomach. She fell off at the waist and offered her hand for Waverly to hold.

 

“Will you be my storytime co-star?”

 

“Can I be the elephant?” Waverly asked excitedly.

 

Nicole sighed as she led them up the stairs.

 

“You always get to be the elephant, I want a turn.”

 

Waverly’s bottom lip protruded.

 

“Please Nicole?”

 

Nicole sighed. There was no fighting that.

 

“Okay,” she agreed amiably, unable to hide a happy grin.

 

Wynonna passed by them and made a whipping noise and action with her hand. Nicole glared as she passed, but could only smile again as her gaze returned to Waverly.

 

She’d accepted and embraced it long ago that she was more whipped than cream.


	17. Chapter 17

 

Nicole stepped into the kitchen, looking at the back of Waverly’s form; covered by a short silk robe.

 

You couldn’t even tell she was pregnant from behind; she was all belly and remained lithe everywhere else. But oh what a belly it had grown into, with only a couple of weeks to pop.

 

“Waverly?” she said a little nervously, angling her pose a few different ways while her wife’s back was still turned.

 

“Good morning, baby,” Waverly’s angelic voice spoke with an upward lilt, “And Happy—”

 

She turned as she spoke, but stopped stunned when she saw what Nicole had dressed in.

 

“You’re wearing the khakis.”

 

“This is a onetime only event,” Nicole emphasized clearly, “In honor of our _cotton_ anniversary.”

 

Waverly walked towards Nicole but paused for a moment to clutch her side when a twinge hit her.

 

“Baby,” Nicole stepped forward, concerned.

 

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Waverly dismissed, grinning, “Come on, do a little twirl.”

 

Nicole obliged and slowly turned.

 

“You can stop the twirl right there,” Waverly said pointedly when Nicole was halfway around, “Your butt is _so_ cute.”

 

“Waverly,” Nicole blushed, looking over her shoulder.

 

Waverly leaned in and pressed a kiss to Nicole’s shoulder.

 

“Happy Anniversary.”

 

Nicole turned back around and gave Waverly a sidelong squeeze, the closest hug they could manage these days. Still, it was sweet and intimate and included a few quick kisses on each other’s necks.

 

“So when do I need to be ready for your surprise and what should I wear?” Waverly asked, her hand creeping behind Nicole to squeeze her butt.

 

Every anniversary, even the ones before they got married, Nicole had brought Waverly somewhere new and exciting to broaden her horizons. After the obligatory trip to the ocean, the skydiving over the Rockies and a plate of geoduck they were thankful was only one of many at a degustation event, Nicole had also taken her trekking in the US, on a cruise and white water rafting. Rock-climbing had remained an absent adventure.

 

Waverly, of course, was not able for any of the usual adventures in her current state, but she knew Nicole still had something planned. It was one of the few areas Waverly relinquished total control in planning and Nicole always made good on that responsibility.

 

“Well, just be comfortable,” Nicole advised, “And if you could be ready in about an hour that would be great.”

 

Waverly kissed Nicole’s cheek and made her way upstairs, holding her back along the way. Nicole went over her checklist to make sure she had everything, more than once twisting uncomfortably in the khakis. She was glad she’d be changing out of them later, but it was hard to deny to pep they had put in Waverly’s step, and it was flattering too.

 

She waited for her wife to get ready, packing some snacks and drinks for the car. Waverly returned with her hair down and neatly straightened, some makeup applied to highlight her features and the earrings Nicole had gotten her for her birthday in her ears. She was wearing dark maternity jeans and a to-the-knee grey and white striped sweater.

 

“You look beautiful,” Nicole gushed, “And you’ll stay warm.”

 

“I’ve been having hot flashes for days,” Waverly replied wryly, “No worries there.”

 

Nicole smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

 

“You’re looking a bit pale. Is this too much?”

 

Waverly shook her head.

 

“I’ve pushed myself through a lot worse.”

 

“I don’t want you to have to push through,” Nicole replied nervously.

 

Waverly tried not to show how annoyed she was getting.

 

“Is there much walking involved?”

 

Nicole shook her head.

 

“No, we can park and Uber. Door to door, no walking required.”

 

Waverly walked up and gave Nicole a reassuring kiss.

 

“Then I’ll be fine. Remember I told you about New Year’s Eve 2012?”

 

Nicole nodded slowly, confused at the turn of conversation, but letting her wife go with it.

 

“What I didn’t tell you is I captained the whole cheerleading team in a Devil’s game on New Year’s Day 2013. And having experienced literal demons from hell, I can tell you it was a hangover from hell. If I can get through that with a smile on my face I can through anything. And spending the day with you is not something to endure, it is something to treasure.”

 

“Promise if it gets too much you’ll tell me?” Nicole asked one last time.

 

“Promise you’ll stop fussing and let us enjoy the day?” Waverly countered with an arched eyebrow.

 

Nicole smiled softly.

 

“Deal.”

 

They kissed again and Nicole slipped her arm into Waverly’s. She brought her to the Subaru and helped her buckle up (it was hard to twist that way these days) before getting in on the driver’s side and driving out of the homestead.

 

Waverly lasted 10 minutes before cracking.

 

“Okay, come on, spill. Where are we going?”

 

Nicole grinned secretively.

 

“So since I couldn’t take you very far, instead I’m bringing you around the world in just the city.”

 

Waverly’s brow creased in confusion, and Nicole took joy in explaining.

 

“We’ll start with espresso in Little Italy, tea for you of course, and then head to Chinatown for some dim sum. Afterwards, we can get a mango lassi in Little India and catch a Bollywood movie, and then listen to some polka music in Little Poland and have a pierogi. Then we can change for dinner and I have reservations at a Greek restaurant. We’ll end with a New York style cheesecake and some comedy stylings in our very own Apollo theater.”

 

Waverly could only smile, the curves practically breaking her face.

 

“You are brilliant. That is a lovely, thoughtful idea because you are a lovely, thoughtful woman who I’m so grateful every day that I married.”

 

Nicole shook her head bashfully.

 

“But _please_ tell me if you just need to stop at any point, or you want me to get a hotel room for the whole night and I promise that’s the last time I’ll say it,” she said in one quick run-on sentence.

 

She had just booked a day room because Waverly was only comfortable in her own bed nowadays, with her body pillow, excessive blankets and the ability to get up at 2 am to organize the diaper drawer or clean the slats of the crib with a toothbrush.

 

The last two were recent developments but Nicole wasn’t about to risk getting her head bitten off again about it like she had when she politely suggested it could wait until daybreak when she’d caught Waverly in the act.

 

“I think I can handle being driven around and having food and entertainment thrust at me,” Waverly replied, gently rubbing her belly through the sweater, “I think she’s lodged her head in my ribcage today.”

 

“Get out of your Mama’s ribcage,” Nicole mock-scolded, “She needs that for her heart.”

 

“And lungs,” Waverly added as a movement winded her, but tried to hide it.

 

They got to the city in under an hour and Nicole parked at the hotel. She checked in and dropped the bag in the room while Waverly sat outside and got some air and ordered the Uber.

 

Their first stop was a quaint Italian café Nicole had picked out, with homemade biscotti that just kept being dropped to them complimentary and Waverly couldn’t stop eating. She even snuck some into her purse before they left, and Nicole teasingly promised not to arrest her for theft.

 

The rest of the day went as Nicole described. They visited each cultural quarter the city had to offer with a relaxed schedule so they could spend longer on the things they really enjoyed.

 

Waverly felt swept off her feet, almost literally.

 

She was uncomfortable, but she figured she’d just reached that point in her pregnancy where she would be constantly uncomfortable; she certainly had been for the past few days. But Nicole was only letting her walk the few feet between car and venue and she didn’t even care because it made everything so easy and enjoyable. This really was the last chance they’d have for a day like this in a long time and she was embracing every moment. Experiencing the different tastes and cultures, things she’d only studied before in a whirlwind was thrilling and just plain _fun_. And having fun with Nicole was the cherry on top.

 

She took as many selfies of them throughout the day as Nicole had pictures of Calamity Jane on her phone. Nicole sometimes shied away from pictures, but she was grinning in every single one Waverly took, having just as much fun. Nothing was forced, it was just a day celebrating how much they loved each other.

 

As the afternoon stretched into evening, Nicole brought Waverly to the main shopping street. She stopped them outside a boutique maternity store.

 

“I know you love when we dress up, but none of your dresses fit right now,” Nicole said, taking Waverly’s hands, “So I want you to pick out something you feel gorgeous in.”

 

Waverly linked their fingers, rubbing their palms together.

 

“Just when I think you’ve made me fall as much in love as a person could…”

 

“Now you know how I feel every day,” Nicole replied adoringly, “Now go in there and pick something beautiful. I don’t want to see until it’s on.”

 

She clapped her hand over her eyes, then dropped a finger to peek through.

 

Waverly would have liked to pull Nicole into a steamy kiss right against the glass window of that store but settled for a quick peck instead. She went inside and with the store assistant’s help, picked out a dress she was happy with.

 

They went back to the hotel where Waverly changed into it. It was a long slate grey dress which she’d added a red ribbon to, tied between bust and bump to make both assets pop. She changed her hair into an up-do and redid her makeup before coming out of the bathroom to see Nicole.

 

Nicole was waiting in a plain black dress that Waverly _loved_ because it hugged her in all the right places. Waverly blushed under the adoring gaze Nicole directed at her.

 

“You are more than a vision. You are a dream.”

 

Waverly approached and smoothed one of Nicole’s straps.

 

“Little black dress…” she mused, fixing her wife with a lusty gaze, “I hope that means there’s candles to follow later.”

 

“If you want, baby,” Nicole replied, grinning.

 

Waverly traced the neckline of Nicole’s dress, momentarily dipping her finger into the cleavage.

 

“God I have amazing taste in women.”

 

“Waverly,” Nicole laughed.

 

They met for a kiss, which lingered, and lingered some more.

 

“So…dinner,” Nicole said, cheeks flushed.

 

“Dinner,” Waverly answered with a smirk, “This time two years ago we were having…dinner.”

 

Nicole’s eyes darkened as she remembered sneaking off on the wedding day. They’d missed almost the entire reception, even Alice and Wynonna had taken the first dance.

 

She kissed her wife again softly, a memory and a promise and they forced themselves to leave and get to the restaurant.

 

It was a traditional Greek place with the décor making you feel like you were on a little patio beside the sea, despite being in the middle of the city. They ordered a mezze plate to share and try some different things but mostly sent heart eyes across the candlelit table.

 

“I got something,” Nicole ventured after a while, “It’s not for you exactly.”

 

She could tell Waverly was confused.

 

“Wynonna gave me the name of this person she knows who knits custom products for people and…”

 

Forgoing an explanation, she brought her purse up and took out a folded square. She handed it across the table to Waverly.

 

Waverly unfolded it to reveal a baby’s blanket, but two sewn together like a sleeping bag. There were browns and greens and white in the coloring, like a snuggly autumnal embrace.

 

“Each side is a double layer,” Nicole explained, suddenly feeling like her gift was stupid, “I…I just thought you might be worried she’d be cold like you and I didn’t want you to worry…”

 

Waverly felt the extra padding and how tightly it had been knitted to retain the heat. She looked up with glassy eyes.

 

“It’s rude to try and make a pregnant woman cry in public, you know.”

 

“It’s just a blanket,” Nicole shrugged unsurely.

 

“It’s the perfect blanket,” Waverly amended, reaching across the table for Nicole’s hand, “And I love you for thinking of it.”

 

She nuzzled it against her face for a moment, then tucked it away safely in her purse to put in the nursery when she got home.

 

By the time they finished dinner, Waverly was ready to head home. Both from her body’s aches and groans and to see if she could still snake Nicole out of that dress. But her wife seemed so eager to go to this comedy show that she kept quiet.

 

She wasn’t sure if the place they went to was a dessert bar with a stage or a small theater that served desserts, but the cheesecake was amazing and that was all that really mattered in the moment.

 

She nearly choked on one of her last bites though when she recognized someone jumping up on the stage.

 

“Is that Jeremy?!”

 

“Told you it would be worth it,” Nicole grinned. It had been hard, very hard, keeping this from Waverly.

 

They clapped along with everyone else while Jeremy found his footing on stage.

 

“So two of my best friends are having a baby. You can tell who the parents are in the room by who cheered and who groaned. The parents are the groaners, right?”

 

There were some chuckles and Waverly’s eyebrows rose in amusement.

 

“They’re both women, my friends, so things work a little differently. I was curious about those differences, you know, but I figure I wouldn’t ask a straight couple how they got pregnant so I’m not going to ask them either. Could you imagine if we did that? Oh, look at little Olivia, how cute…was she doggy style?”

 

Everyone laughed and Waverly had to take a long drink of water. Her pains were replaced with ones from laughter.

 

“But I still have to wonder…picking that person to mush your genes with…what’s that like?  Is there a Tinder for sperm donors? Can you swipe left if you’re not into his mobility numbers? Is there a Superlike option if he’s a surgeon with perfect hair and loves animals? And can I get his number too?”

 

Jeremy finished his set to a decent response and gave a little bow.

 

Nicole and Waverly both clapped the loudest, though Nicole’s ringing phone interrupted it. Waverly sighed.

 

“Nicole, it’s rung five times, just answer it.”

 

Nicole sighed. Seeing the Sheriff’s Department number come up on her days off was the bane of her life. She answered curtly.

 

“What?” she barked, her eyes immediately narrowing, “Handle it.”

 

She turned around and hissed down the line.

 

“Handle. It.”

 

She listened for a moment, sighed in exasperation and stood up, indicating apologetically to Waverly that she’d be one minute.

 

Waverly nodded that she understood and when Nicole went outside to talk, she sought Jeremy’s eyes out in the crowd.

 

“Jeremy!” she squealed excitedly, throwing her arms around her friend, “I had no idea.”

 

Jeremy smiled bashfully.

 

“I asked Nicole to keep it a surprise. It would have made me more nervous.”

 

“You were great, although I’m not sure how I feel about being your material,” Waverly responded, making Jeremy sweat for a moment before lightly slapping his arm, “I’m kidding. You were very funny. I wish there had been an app.”

 

She smiled but had to sit back down again.

 

“Are we going to meet this man of yours?”

 

Jeremy shrugged one shoulder, but his eyes were shining happily.

 

“He might show up. I’m hoping—”

 

Nicole suddenly arrived back at the table, looking irritated, apologetic and heartbroken all at once.

 

“Baby, I’m so sorry. A fight broke out at a stag and they’re running out of room—”

 

“We need to go,” Waverly guessed in a considerate tone.

 

Being married to the Sheriff sometimes meant date night got cut short, even if said date night was an anniversary.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Nicole spluttered.

 

“If you want you can stay and I’ll drive you home later,” Jeremy offered, “I’m going to P-town tonight anyway.”

 

Nicole seemed concerned and relieved all at once.

 

“Would you like to stay baby?” she asked cautiously.

 

Waverly considered it for a moment. If Nicole was going to be working, she’d rather stay out and have fun than be home alone, especially now she was feeling in better spirits.

 

“Yeah, I’m having fun. Which has been hard to do lately when my stomach arrives 10 minutes before the rest of me.”

 

Nicole nodded; she trusted Waverly to know herself.

 

“Take care of her, Jeremy?” she asked, “And call if there’s any problems.”

 

“There won’t be,” Jeremy replied cheerily.

 

Nicole scooched down to kiss Waverly’s cheek.

 

“Happy Anniversary, I’m so sorry.”

 

“Go be our hero,” Waverly replied, patting Nicole’s face, “I love you.”

 

Nicole smiled in gratitude for the understanding.

 

“And hey,” Waverly said, low enough for only them to hear, “Stay in that dress.”

 

She winked and saw Nicole’s cheeks flush in the dim lighting. She watched her wife retreat and imagined her storming into the squad room in that get-up, kicking ass and taking names. It turned her on entirely.

 

Nicole drove back to Purgatory, cursing under her breath the whole way. She marched in much like Waverly had imagined but it was chaos. Three men were in the holding cell, nursing various facial wounds and six more men were handcuffed to different desks with the two officers on duty running around trying to keep them from tossing the furniture around.

 

There were multiple wolf whistles from the incarcerated men as she entered.

 

“Hey, mama! You want some of this?”

 

The man nearest to her threw his un-cuffed arm out to grab Nicole’s ankle.

 

Nicole twisted out of it and stomped her stiletto down dangerously close to his arm.

 

“You just ruined my anniversary, so please, give me an excuse.”

 

She pushed passed him and another hollered after her.

 

“Redheads!”

 

“You a natural, lady-cop?”

 

“Show us the carpet!”

 

Nicole dragged her officers into her office and calmly, though with the anger flashing in her eyes, told them how they were going to get the situation under control. It took all three of them wrangling the men, handcuffed behind their backs into an overflow room where they could holler to their heart's content until they passed out.

 

More than one tried to look up her dress and Nicole was furious by the time she got out of there.

 

She stepped out into a flurry of snow and realized her jacket was in the trunk of the car.

 

She couldn’t run in her shoes so she had to let her arms freeze as she walked down the street to the car. When she was just a foot away, her heel suddenly gave way to the slippery ground and twisted her bad ankle making her ram herself into the lamppost.

 

“And…great,” she called out to the still night, holding her nose.

 

How had a day gone from so good to so bad?

 

She tore her shoes off and got into the car, turning the heat up high and wincing when she caught sight of her bloody nose in the rearview mirror.

 

She kept her foot light on the accelerator so as not to aggravate her ankle. It was a frustrating stop-and-start journey home but eventually, she made it home. She limped in through the door, where Wynonna was channel-surfing by herself.

 

It was Doc’s night to have Alice so Nicole wasn’t surprised to not see her, but she expected Wynonna to be out with them, or Dolls, or at Shorty’s.

 

“Shit,” Wynonna commented, “You’re home early. I’ll make myself sc—”

 

She stopped as she looked at the closed door.

 

“Uh, did you forget Waverly?”

 

“I had to come back early to deal with a work crisis,” Nicole replied shortly, “She’s in the city, Jeremy is bringing her home later.”

 

Wynonna swung her legs off the couch and stood.

 

“What happened to your nose? Did a perp punch you?”

 

Nicole sighed.

 

“I lamp-posted myself.”

 

Wynonna tried and failed to hide a snicker.

 

“I’m sorry but that’s the lamest thing I’ve ever heard.”

 

Nicole just gave up.

 

“If it wasn’t throbbing so much I’d laugh too.”

 

Wynonna nodded to the seat she’d just vacated.

 

“Sit.”

 

Nicole didn’t argue and took the spot. Wynonna went into the kitchen and came back with a bag of peas and a first aid kit. Nicole put her ankle up and the peas on top, while Wynonna checked out her nose.

 

“You didn’t break it.”

 

“I know,” Nicole replied with a sigh and Wynonna nodded.

 

“I guess we’ve both had our fair share of those. Prognosis: You’ll survive.”

 

She handed Nicole a tissue to clean herself up with, and then offered the remote since she had had such a shitty night and all. They watched TV in companionable silence for quite a while until Nicole got up to change out the bag of peas.

 

She passed by the window and was alarmed by the thick blanket of white that had gathered on the ground.

 

“When did it start coming down so heavy?”

 

She strode over to check her phone and noticed the signal was gone. This wasn’t uncommon when the snow came in strong like it was.

 

“Shit, there’s no signal. The snow must have knocked it out.”

 

She checked the time and started to panic.

 

“It’s getting late. They should be back by now, right? Waverly was getting tired when I was leaving and that was hours ago.”

 

“She’s probably just enjoying her last bit of freedom,” Wynonna replied calmly.

 

“Yeah, okay,” Nicole agreed, sitting back down, albeit nervously biting her nails.

 

She tried to keep herself calm, but her instincts were screaming at her. She jumped back up.

 

“Nope, no, something’s wrong. I can feel it. I’m going to go try and find them.”

 

“Nicole, your ankle,” Wynonna protested.

 

Nicole grabbed her jacket and tied it closed.

 

“I’m not gonna leave my pregnant wife out in a snowstorm!”

 

Wynonna’s face creased with a moment of worry.

 

“I’ll drive.”

 

They went out to drive, but all four vehicles were snowed in and the road was nothing but slick ice. Both quickly pulled on snow boots and Wynonna tossed Nicole a walkie-talkie.

 

“We can cover more ground but stick close to the road.”

 

Nicole nodded and shoved the walkie-talkie into her pocket. She headed east, ice crunching underfoot and the snow still falling heavily, obstructing her vision.

 

She used her phone as a flashlight but saw almost nothing but white stretches ahead. She was starting to feel stupid considering Jeremy and Waverly could be anywhere from here to the city and she wasn’t going to be able to cover that on foot. They’d probably stopped driving when the blizzard flew in any way, or had gone back to stay in Jeremy’s new place.

 

She was about to radio Wynonna to head back when her flashlight caught a dim glare of something ahead. Worried someone else was in trouble, she jogged up, but it turned into a sprint when she recognized Jeremy’s car, front bumper crashed into s snow bank stretching across the road.

 

“Waverly!”

 

She jumped the snow bank and saw Jeremy standing by the open passenger door. Jeremy dropped to his knees in relief when he saw her.

 

“Oh thank god, I thought I was going to have to look.”

 

Nicole pushed past him and looked in the passenger side. Waverly was sitting there, legs angled out of the car and just slightly flustered.

 

“Hey Nicole,” she greeted in that sometimes oddly chipper way of hers, as her hand held her belly, “I think we’re having a baby. Like, now.”

 

Nicole’s eyes widened in shock.

 

“What happened?!”

 

“My water broke and he lost control of the car,” Waverly explained simply.

 

“Your WATER BROKE!?” Nicole exclaimed, then yanked the walkie-talkie out, “The peanut is leaving the shell, I repeat, the peanut is leaving the shell!”

 

There was a scream from the distance, then Wynonna’s voice crackled through the speaker.

 

“I see you, I’m coming! Waverly, cross your legs!”

 

“What happened to your nose?” Waverly suddenly asked, full of concern.

 

“Nothing important,” Nicole dismissed, “Are you having contractions?”

 

Waverly nodded.

 

“I think so. The pains are coming in much quicker than earlier,” she replied, then her face contorted in pain, “Ooh, like right now!”

 

“Earlier?!” Nicole exclaimed sternly, “Waverly why didn’t you say something! I knew there was something wrong!”

 

Waverly grasped for Nicole’s hand.

 

“Can you berate me later please?”

 

Wynonna came barreling over some snow, her eyes widening when she took in the pained expression on her sister’s face.

 

“Oh shit.”

 

“Wynonna call an ambulance,” Nicole said quickly.

 

Wynonna nodded and whipped out her phone, hoping the emergency service signal hadn’t been knocked out too.

 

“Got it.”

 

Nicole leaned in and held Waverly as best she could.

 

“Breathe baby. It’s all going to be okay. Remember the breathing we learned?”

 

Waverly nodded and they got through the contraction together. As it eased off, they heard Wynonna shrieking.

 

“Hey, my baby sister has a Haught cross bun in the oven and the timer is about to go off, so maybe you get on your damn computer or your phone, use smoke signals for all I care, just get some help sent out here!”

 

She listened for another minute, then dropped the call in frustration.

 

“God damn it!” she said, approaching them again, “The road has been closed. It’s an ice rink. No one is getting in. Or out.”

 

Jeremy popped up again, in a fresh panic.

 

“So what do we do?” he asked, breathing rapidly, “We can’t drive back in either direction. There’s no tow or ambulance service or even another house for miles.”

 

Waverly started to panic too.

 

“This isn’t the plan! It’s two weeks early! I’m supposed to go into labor at home or at work, not in the middle of the freakin’ snowed-in road! We can’t get to the hospital, we have no doctor, I don’t even have my CD of comforting whale sounds, Nicole!”

 

Nicole gave Wynonna the eye to shut Jeremy up and focused in on Waverly.

 

“It’s gonna be okay, baby. I promise.”

 

“How?” Waverly asked, clearly scared.

 

“Trust me,” Nicole requested and Waverly didn’t hesitate in nodding.

 

Nicole took a step back, closed her eyes for five seconds and opened them again with an assertive nod. She put an arm around her sister-in-law’s shoulders.

 

“Wynonna, there’s a satellite phone in the cruiser glove compartment. Our OB’s card is on the fridge. Call and explain the situation and that we might be looking at an unplanned home birth. Ask for phone assistance.”

 

Wynonna nodded and set off for the run back to the house.

 

“What can I do?” Jeremy asked, trying to be helpful.

 

“You can not freak out,” Nicole advised.

 

Jeremy nodded swiftly.

 

“I’m almost 70% sure I can do that.”

 

“Be 100,” Nicole replied curtly, “I’m gonna get Waverly back to the homestead.”

 

“How are you going to get her there?” Jeremy asked, frowning, “She can’t walk. The car won’t start and this snowbank is in the way anyway.”

  
“The only way I can,” Nicole responded resolutely.

 

“Can you all stop whispering and fill me in please?!” Waverly called over to them.

 

Nicole returned to the open passenger side. She offered her wife a trusting look.

 

“I’ve got you, Waves.”

 

Waverly returned it, unsure why, until Nicole suddenly got her arms under her and lifted her out of the seat, carrying her bridal style.

 

“Bring her stuff, Jeremy!” she called back as she secured her arms under Waverly’s wet dress and broke out into a steady jog.

 

Waverly held her arms securely around Nicole’s waist, swooning a little that she was being carried to safety.

 

“Can you pick me up like this more often, it’s really sexy.”

  
“Timing, baby, timing!” Nicole exclaimed, keeping a steely focus ahead so that she wouldn’t send them both tumbling over.

 

“Sorry—” Waverly started, then her whole body tensed with a fresh contraction, “Oh god!”

 

“Hang on Waves!” Nicole said, picking up her pace to as fast a speed as was safe, “Hang onto me tight!”

 

Waverly obliged, her eyes shut tight as she endured the rocky ride. Jeremy jogged behind with Waverly’s purse and jacket hanging off his arms.

 

Nicole was pushing through the burning in her ankle and her arms were starting to falter under Waverly’s weight but there wasn’t a chance she’s let her down to try and walk, not when she had to see that pinched face of pain gracing her wife’s normally serene face.

 

Another contraction hit and this time Waverly tightened her hold on Nicole.

 

“Nicole, I feel something, I feel something!”

 

“We’re almost there, we’re almost there!” Nicole called back.

 

“Something’s happening NOW,” Waverly replied in a panic.

 

Nicole bolted for the nearest shelter, the barn, and laid Waverly down on a hay bed.

 

She whipped her jacket off and rolled it under Waverly’s head, then grabbed the walkie-talkie.

 

“We’re in the barn and we need that doctor assist NOW!”

 

Jeremy followed in behind them and threw Waverly’s things beside them, then kneeled next to the hay bale. He was pale and panting.

 

Nicole reached under and removed Waverly’s underwear.

 

“You’re okay, baby. You’re safe now. I’m going to be here the whole way.”

 

Waverly looked down at Nicole and tried to regular her breathing.

 

“I guess there’s no returning this dress now.”

 

“She can’t say we didn’t dress for her arrival,” Nicole replied drolly, “Only a diamond earring entrance for our girl.”

 

They looked at each other, still in their fancy dresses and shared a laugh. It was just a moment, but it reconnected them. Nicole nodded that it was going to be okay and Waverly closed her eyes to breathe.

 

Wynonna came skidding in holding the phone to her ear.

 

“Your doctor isn’t there but they’re patching me onto the on-call guy,” she said, hearing something on the other line, “Hello?”

 

“This is Dr. Morgan-Foreman,” a German male voice came through the phone.

 

“What?” she asked, struggling to make out the accented voice.

 

“This is Dr. Jürgen Morgan-Foreman.”

 

Wynonna still heard nothing that sounded real.

 

“Alright Dr. Foreskin, listen, my sister is in labor and we’re snowed in—”

 

Nicole grabbed the phone off her and held it between her shoulder and ear.

 

“This is Nicole Haught-Earp, I’m the town Sheriff and I have basic medical training. My wife is the one in labor. She is…oh boy. She’s 10 centimeters and I think 100% effaced! Contractions are coming in 90 seconds apart and…. Ahh, I’m seeing a head! I mean, the baby is crowning.”

 

“Oh god,” Waverly groaned at that information, “I feel like I need to push!”

 

“On zee next contraczion, busch, ya!” the doctor said and Nicole put it on speaker phone so Waverly could hear.

 

“You need to yell, the line is weak! Push on the next contraction Waverly!”

 

This was all happening too much, too fast and Waverly couldn’t cope. Why did this always happen, why could nothing ever stand still for one freakin’ minute? Their anniversary had been cut short and they’d crashed in a snowstorm, now she had to be in the throes of labor too?!

 

“Nicole, I can’t do this.”

 

Nicole looked up and knew she had a very brief window to be heard before this got messy.

 

“Now you listen to me, Waverly Haught-Earp. I know you can do this because you are extraordinary and you've grown an extraordinary child for us,” she said emphatically, looking her wife right in the eye, “I already know she takes after her mama because she's coming out all guns blazing. I’m kinda expecting her to break the umbilical cord over her knee.”

 

A laugh bubbled out and she nodded more assuredly.

 

“So you take Wynonna’s hand and you squeeze as damn hard as you need to and let’s meet this little lady, okay?”

 

“Gee thanks,” Wynonna replied sarcastically but held her hand up for use nonetheless.

 

Waverly sat herself up on her elbows to prepare.

 

“I need my CD.”

 

“Make whale sounds Jeremy!” Nicole barked.

 

“What?!” Jeremy asked in a fluster.

 

“Make some goddamn whale sounds!” Nicole insisted.

 

“Whale sounds, Jeremy!” Wynonna added in hysterically.

 

Waverly hadn’t anticipated her delivery would be like this. A German man yelling down the phone; Wynonna by her side interspersing exaggerated breathing exercises with swear words as her hand was held in a vice grip; Jeremy pretty much spitting in her face as his lips vibrated noises that sounded more like a trash compactor than a whale and Nicole trying her hardest to remain calm as she pulled their baby from her body. All the while lying on the scratchiest surface known to man in a ball gown with marks that would _never_ wash out, no matter how much stain remover she used.

 

Once again life had thrown her plans back in her face and this time she had no choice but to go with it. And so she bore down as she’d been taught in Lamaze classes and counted out each contraction as she pushed.

 

Nicole’s voice became a focal point as it grew ever more emotive as their baby slowly made her way into the world.

 

“So close, baby!”

 

“So close!”

 

“I see her! I see her!”

 

“I have her head!”

 

“Keep going baby!”

 

“Oh my god, baby!”

 

“You’re doing it, Waverly!”

 

“She’s almost here baby!”

 

“I have her Waverly!”

 

“One more push baby!”

 

“She’s here Waverly!”

 

“You did it!”

 

Waverly collapsed back as that final rush pushed past her thighs.

 

Nicole held up the baby, covered in blood and goo and still attached to the pulsing umbilical cord.

 

Jeremy promptly fainted.

 

“Haught damn, you did it,” Wynonna breathed reverently.

 

Nicole laughed a joyous laugh, which sparked a strong cry from the little bundle in her hands.

 

Wynonna gently rubbed Waverly’s shoulder, who was starting to respond again.

 

“You did it babygirl,” she said proudly, “You have a baby girl.”

 

Waverly’s eyes started searching frantically, but Nicole was quick to place the baby on her on her Mama’s chest.

 

“Oh my god,” Waverly gushed, instantly bursting into tears as she cradled the new life.

 

Nicole leaned over them both, kissing the side of Waverly’s head multiple times, then pressed a delicate kiss above her daughter’s eyes.

 

“You did so good, Waverly,” she said, crying too, “She’s beautiful.”

 

Wynonna had been a little scared of what memories this moment would bring back, but she could be nothing but overjoyed for her sister and sister-in-law.

 

She reached out and flattened a little tuft of hair.

 

“Hair for days,” she commented fondly, “What’s her name?”

 

Waverly smiled proudly.

 

“Wren.”

 

“Like Ren and Stimpy?” Wynonna asked, nose scrunching.

 

“No like the beautiful, tiny majestic songbird!” Waverly snapped, but her tone dropped as she smiled at Nicole, “Wren Victoria Haught-Earp.”

 

“That’s our girl,” Nicole whispered, her eyes taking in every tiny feature in awe.

 

Wynonna smiled at them, then looked over their shoulder strangely.

 

“What happened to Jeremy?” she asked, but saw those two were in a stupor they wouldn’t break from soon, “Never mind, I’m on it.”

 

She moved around and dragged Jeremy away from the new mothers, picking up the phone on the way.

 

“Hey Yuri, we’re all good. 10 fingers, 10 toes. Yes I know what afterbirth is, I’m a mom. Give ‘em a few minutes, will ya? Know a good way to wake a wuss up by any chance?”

 

Waverly ran her hand over Wren’s exposed limbs.

 

“Her blanket, it’s in my purse.”

 

Nicole wiped her hands on Waverly’s dress (it was ruined anyway) and scooted over on her knees to where Jeremy had dropped Waverly’s purse. She took out the blanket she’d given Waverly earlier, pleased at the serendipity of giving it to her on that day. They wrapped her up nice and warm and she snuggled in against her Mama’s exposed V of breast.

 

“I hope her little head isn’t cold.”

 

Nicole very gently cupped the back of her baby’s head, feeling the soft downy hairs there that might be brown or might be red, they couldn’t tell yet.

 

“Oh!” she said suddenly.

 

She reached behind Waverly’s head to her coat and plucked out the knit Stetson she’d never taken out of the pocket.

 

Waverly could only smile as Nicole settled it on her.

 

“I don’t even know where, but…it’s perfect.”

 

She let Wren take a finger and marveled at the strength.

 

“Nicole, I hope you don’t mind, but I think I have a new best baby.”

 

“Willing to share?” Nicole asked, gazing down lovingly.

 

Wren started to fuss and Waverly gently rocked her.

 

“Sing her her song,” she encouraged Nicole.

 

Nicole brought her face in close so they were in a cocoon just the three of them. She hoped some part of Wren remembered the song she’d sang to her in the womb and found comfort in her voice.

 

_There's a Wren in a willow wood_  
 _Flies so_ high, _sings so good_  
 _And she brings to you what she sings to you_  
 _And the love in her lullaby_  
 _Seem to tell me if I try, I could fly for you_  
 _I wanna try for you 'cause_  
  
_I wanna sing you a love song_  
 _I wanna rock you in my arms all night long_  
 _I wanna get to know you_  
 _I wanna show you the peaceful feelin' of my home_

 

Both Nicole and Waverly kept humming and Wren settled, for the moment. Being born was exhausting.

 

Giving birth was exhausting too but Waverly didn’t think she’d be going to sleep anytime soon.

 

The only thing better than feeling their baby beneath her skin was feeling her against her skin, the warmth of her tiny body a heat incomparable to any number of blankets that graced her bed on a winter’s night.

 

The only thing better for Nicole than feeling the protrusion of a kick on Waverly’s belly was to watch her daughter’s nostrils flare with each exhaled breath and feel her love swell with each tickling movement.

 

And the only thing better for the new family than finally being together in that moment was that this was only the first of a lifetime.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it folks! Thanks to everyone who read and left kudos and comments and just generally made this a great experience! I just love being an Earper :)
> 
> A big thank you to DarkWiccan, without whom I would never have known who Waverly and Nicole are, nor been pushed to write this, nor had the confidence to post it. Also big thanks to Delayne, whose keen eyes prevailed where ours failed so miserably.


End file.
